MP votes against plans to let water companies dump sewage into lakes and rivers until 2038
Last night in Parliament, Cumbrian MP Tim Farron voted against controversial Government plans to let water companies continue to discharge sewage into lakes and rivers for the next 15 years.
Under the Environment Act, the Government is obliged to bring forward new binding environmental targets.
The new legilsation set a target of an 80% reduction in phosphates in rivers by 2038. Phosphates are naturally occurring minerals found in human waste and can lead to a dramatic growth in algae and deplete oxygen levels when they are dumped in rivers.
However, the regulation was approved by Conservative MPs, by 300 votes to 170.
According to the Rivers Trust. water companies dumped sewage more than 2,800 times in South Lakeland in 2021 for a duration of 36,265 hours.
This included:
- 1172 hours at Staveley wastewater treatment works into the River Kent
- 1348 hours at Grasmere wastewater treatment works into Grasmere Lake
- 1372 hours at Hawkshead wastewater treatment works into Black Beck
- 1809 hours at Milnthorpe sewage treatment plant into the River Bela
- 2710 hours at Coniston wastewater treatment works into Church Beck
Speaking after the vote, Tim said: "This is a pathetic target which allows water companies to get away with a staggering 15 more years of shameful sewage dumping. This is a betrayal of the British public who rightly want tougher action against water companies.
"The water companies that are responsible for dumping sewage into our rivers, lakes and coastal waters every day, now have 15 years to clean up their act. Meanwhile their top execs have paid themselves £51 million, including £30.6 million in bonuses over the last two years.
"Conservative MPs should be ashamed of themselves. It will be swimmers and treasured wildlife which pay the price for today's flimsy target. Water company execs will be cheering this through parliament. I am proud the Liberal Democrats voted against these unacceptable targets."