3 February 2022
New measures will help hold water companies to account, says Dunne

New measures from government will help hold water companies to account for water quality in rivers, according to Ludlow MP, Philip Dunne.

Philip Dunne MP with Environment Minister Rebecca Pow

The government’s Strategic Policy Statement (SPS) guidance to water regulator, Ofwat, sets the priorities to guide the next five year capital investment programme for water companies. It includes a number of recommendations from the Environmental Audit Committee, chaired by Mr Dunne.

These include:

  • Challenging water companies to demonstrate how they can deliver zero serious pollution incidents by 2030;
  • Prioritising capital investment to improve water treatment over lowering bills, to ensure that the sewerage system is fit for the future;
  • Amending previous wording around the use of storm overflows being used in ‘exceptional’ circumstances to ‘only in cases of unusually heavy rainfall’;
  • Prioritising overflows that do the most harm to sensitive environments;
  • significantly increasing water companies’ use of nature-based and catchment-based solutions.

Mr Dunne has been leading the campaign to end sewage pollution and clean up rivers for several years, including through his Private Members Bill, the Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill. The key principles behind this Bill were adopted by government, to become part of the Environment Act.

Mr Dunne said:

“The SPS guidance issued by government to Ofwat is an important first step in the recovery of our arteries of nature, and an opportunity not to be missed – which is why I urged the Prime Minister in PMQs last week to look seriously at the recommendations the EAC had put forward and encourage Defra Ministers to act on them.

“So I am pleased to see many of our recommendations have been taken up.  From water companies being obliged to publish more information on sewage discharges, to scrutinising water companies’ ability to have zero serious pollution incidents by 2030, these transparency measures will shine a light into hitherto dark tunnels. These initiatives represent a much needed step change and will hopefully mark the beginning of the end of regulators and water companies simply turning a blind eye to the pollution of our precious waterways and the harm done to the wildlife that inhabit them, not just in South Shropshire, but across the country.”

Photo: Philip Dunne MP meeting Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow MP, to discuss the Strategic Policy Statement for Ofwat.