A Tory MP has claimed he swam in sewage at a Welsh beach when he was a child. Damian Green, who was born in Barry, told ITV's Peston it was "sort of regarded as acceptable" to paddle in wastewater at Jackson's Bay.
The 67-year-old MP for Ashford, who leads the One Nation group of Conservatives, claimed attitudes towards sewage dumping have changed in recent years. "It’s a problem," said the former First Secretary of State. "I’m absolutely not denying that it is a big issue. But it always has been. It's interesting — I remember as a child in south Wales swimming in sewage. Jackson’s Bay in Barry used to be a sewage outlet where we all paddled and swam. And it was sort of regarded as acceptable. Of course it wasn't acceptable."
The Independent reports that water companies have pledged to invest £10billion in upgrades to cut sewage spills. But the trade body Water UK warned the public faces "modest upward pressure" on bills to cover the investment. Clean river campaigner Feargal Sharkey criticised the companies, telling the BBC: "They are now suggesting that we should pay them a second time for a service we haven’t had. We should have an apology for the suggestion they are going to put bills up by £10billion for their incompetence and their greed.”
