Hitchin & Harpenden’s Member of Parliament Bim Afolami MP has welcomed a Government announcement that fines given to rule-breaking water companies for polluting streams and rivers will be used to improve our natural environment. The changes will mean that rather than fines going back into the Government’s general coffers, the money will be part of a fund in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to invest in the environment and improving water quality.
The new funding will complement the £56bn capital investment that the Government has required water companies to make in tackling storm sewage overflows and will be measured against the Government’s strict new targets to tackle sewage pollution brought in as part of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. An additional £2.2m in funding for the Environment Agency to enforce action against water companies and increased monitoring mean that a record 2,200 works sites are facing criminal and civil investigations into sewage discharges.
Bim Afolami MP said,
“Local residents have told me that they want to see decisive action to tackle pollution in our streams and rivers. Last year I was proud to vote for measures in the Environment Act that provide realistic solutions to eliminate the impact of sewage on our waterways. I have been a strong supporter of protections for our natural environment and chalk streams since I was first elected in 2017 and I welcome that the Government is taking tough action to combat these appalling illegal sewage discharges that we have seen recently.
“We must continue to press on and use these powers to fine companies wherever they have failed to comply with the law; link water company dividend payments to their environmental performance so that their leadership has a personal incentive to work with us to enforce environmental standards; and use the fines from any breaches to clean up and enhance our local environment and chalk streams.
“But we must also do more to prevent breaches from happening in the first place and damaging our precious chalk streams. I will be speaking again to our local water companies to emphasise the need for them to take pro-active action to ensure all possible mitigations are in place to prevent waterways from being polluted. Tough penalties are an important punitive measure, but prevention of pollution in the first place is key to protection of our living rivers’ habitats and ecology.”
In a quote published on gov.uk, Water Minister Rebecca Pow said:
“The volume of sewage being discharged into our waters is unacceptable, and can cause significant harm to our wildlife and sensitive habitats .
“It is right that water companies are made to pay when they break the rules, but it is also right that this money is then channelled back into improving water quality.
“Water company fines reached a record level last year, and moving forward these plans will significantly increase funding that will be used to recover, protect and enhance our natural environment.
“This is on top of the £56 billion investment we’re requiring water companies to invest in improving our water infrastructure, as well as holding them to account through tough new targets.”
In a quote published on gov.uk, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt said:
“These fines hold rule-breaking companies to account and mean record investment in our waterways.
“It comes on top of our requirement for water companies to invest in the natural environment – raising the largest ever environmental infrastructure investment of £56 billion over 25 years.”
