UK Environment Agency: UK Serious Water Pollution Up 60%
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Environment Secretary pledges to halve sewage pollution by 2030
Steve Reed will announce the target as he speaks to the media on Sunday. The Government said it marks the first time ministers have set a clear target on reducing sewage pollution to which they will be held accountable. It also aims to cut phosphorus from treated wastewater in half by 2028 – a pollutant that causes algae blooms which are harmful to wildlife. It comes as ministers brace for the publication of the Independent Water Commission’s landmark review into the ailing water sector on Monday morning. It was set up by the UK and Welsh governments as part of their response to systemic failures in the industry, although ministers have ruled out nationalising companies. On Friday, the Environment Agency revealed that serious pollution incidents caused by water firms across England increase by 60% last year compared with 2023. Of these, 75 were categorised as posing “serious or persistent” harm to wildlife and human health – up from 47 last year.
Steve Reed will announce the target as he speaks to the media on Sunday morning.
The Government said it marks the first time ministers have set a clear target on reducing sewage pollution to which they will be held accountable.
It also aims to cut phosphorus from treated wastewater in half by 2028 – a pollutant that causes algae blooms which are harmful to wildlife.
The pledge comes as part of ongoing Government efforts to respond to widespread public anger over record sewage spills and rising bills, against a backdrop of poor governance at debt-ridden water firms.
A view of Bewl Water, the largest reservoir in the South East (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Wire)
Mr Reed said: “Families have watched their local rivers, coastlines and lakes suffer from record levels of pollution.
“My pledge to you: the Government will halve sewage pollution from water companies by the end of the decade.”
It comes as ministers brace for the publication of the Independent Water Commission’s landmark review into the ailing water sector on Monday morning.
The commission was set up by the UK and Welsh governments as part of their response to systemic failures in the industry, although ministers have ruled out nationalising companies.
The Government will respond to the recommendations in Parliament on Monday.
On Friday, the Environment Agency revealed that serious pollution incidents caused by water firms across England increase by 60% last year compared with 2023.
The watchdog said companies recorded a total of 2,801 pollution incidents in 2024, up from 2,174 in 2023.
Of these, 75 were categorised as posing “serious or persistent” harm to wildlife and human health – up from 47 last year.
Ministers have vowed a “root and branch reform” to the industry and has introduced a package of measures over the last year to cut pollution levels.
They have banned unfair bonuses for 10 bosses this year and threatened prison sentences for law-breaking executives.
The Government has also hailed plans for £104 billion to be invested into upgrading crumbling pipes and building new treatment works as well as ringfencing consumer bills for upgrades instead of companies using money for shareholder payouts of executive bonuses.
Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has received a record £189 million to support hundreds of enforcement offices for inspections and prosecutions, with fines from companies footing the increase in funding.
A glass of water stands on a bridge over the River Thames in London (PA Archive) (PA Archive)
Ministers hopes this will help to reach its newly announced targets on sewage pollution, which can cause harm to swimmers, loss of aquatic live and destruction to ecosystems.
“One of the largest infrastructure projects in England’s history will clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good,” Mr Reed said.
The new pledge also includes working with devolved governments to ban wet wipes containing plastic across the UK, continued work on pre-pipe measures, such as sustainable drainage systems and the start of trials by water companies of nature-based solutions, such as constructed wetlands.
It comes alongside the storm overflow discharge reduction plan, which has set targets on reducing spills, including a 75% reduction in discharging into high priority sites, such as rare chalk streams, by 2035.
There is also an already existing statutory target to reduce phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater by 80% by 2038 against a 2020 baseline as well as an interim goal of a 50% reduction by the end of January 2028 under the environmental improvement plan (EIP).
Conservative shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Labour came to power with big promises to reform the water system, but so far, they have simply copied previous Conservative government policy and have done nothing to stop water bill rises.
“Labour must be transparent about where the £104 billion investment is coming from as some will come through customer bill rises.
“They claim this while they have failed and hindered attempts to secure the funding needed to stabilise Thames Water.
“Labour’s water plans must also include credible proposals to improve the water system’s resilience to droughts, without placing an additional burden on bill payers and taxpayers.”
Sewage discharges to halve by 2030, minister pledges
Environment secretary Steve Reed says the water sector is “broken” and regulator Ofwat is “clearly failing” He did not confirm if Ofwat would be scrapped, a policy recommendation that could be included in a landmark review of the industry, due to be published on Monday. The pledge is the first time ministers have set a clear target on the number of pollution spills, following public outcry over the state of the UK’s waterways. The Water Commission’s chair will lay out his recommendations on how to improve the environmental and financial performance of the sector. The government will respond to a combined sewage system, which means both rainfall and sewage processed through the system are processed through different parts of the country. The Environment Agency said water companies recorded 2,801 pollution incidents in 2024, up from 2,174 in 2023. Of those, 75 were considered to pose “serious or persistent” harm to fisheries, drinking water and human health – up from 47 last year. At the same time, water bosses in England were paid £7.6m in bonuses, according to the government.
The government is preparing a “water revolution” that will halve the number of times sewage is discharged into waterways in England and Wales by 2030, the environment secretary has said.
Steve Reed told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that the water sector was “broken” and the regulator, Ofwat, was “clearly failing”.
The “reset” would include tougher treatment of water company bosses if their companies were not meeting the required standards, including possible prison sentences.
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However, he did not confirm if Ofwat would be scrapped, a policy recommendation that could be included in a landmark review of the industry, due to be published on Monday.
Reed said he had been given the review’s report but had not yet had time to read it thoroughly.
But he ruled out taking water back into public ownership, which would “take years” and be too expensive, he added.
“Nationalisation would cost upwards of £100bn that we’d have to take away from the National Health Service and schools to give to the owners of the companies that are polluting,” said Reed.
His vow on sewage discharge marks the first time ministers have set a clear target on the number of pollution spills, following public outcry over the state of the UK’s waterways.
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Reed said families had “watched their local rivers, coastlines and lakes suffer from record levels of pollution” – but the Conservatives claimed Labour had “done nothing to stop water bill rises” despite “big promises” to reform the system.
“I’ve been up and down this country and spoken to wild swimmers, parents, everybody furious about the state of our water,” Reed said.
“So clearly, regulation must change.”
He told the programme he would be held accountable if there had not been improvements in water quality by the next election.
“Politicians come and say we’re going to do things. Of course our job should be on the line if we don’t,” he said.
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The pledge forms part of wider government plans to improve the water sector, ahead of the Water Commission review of the industry being published on Monday.
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James Wallace, chief executive of charity River Action UK, said the target seemed “admirable” but that ultimately it was a “political pledge” and not legally binding.
The plans announced on Sunday will also include a commitment to work with devolved governments across the UK to ban wet wipes containing plastic, among other measures.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, told Laura Kuenssberg that the water industry was a “hell of a mess”, in part due to growth in the UK’s population. It should be put into joint public-private ownership, he argued.
The state needed to get “some degree of control over vital national assets”, he said, but did not put a figure on its cost.
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Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey told the programme the regulator should be replaced, with public benefit corporations taking the place of private companies.
“A tough regulator by itself isn’t sufficient,” he said. A completely new structure would allow the country to “start afresh with the investment we need without costing bill and taxpayers”, he added.
There has been widespread scrutiny of water companies over the increasing number of sewage discharges into UK waterways amid rising bills – all while the firms have paid out millions to executives and shareholders.
The Environment Agency said water companies recorded 2,801 pollution incidents in 2024, up from 2,174 in 2023.
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Of those, 75 were considered to pose “serious or persistent” harm to fisheries, drinking water and human health – up from 47 last year.
At the same time, water bosses in England were paid £7.6m in bonuses, according to the government. In June, it barred them from being paid out at six firms that had fallen foul of environmental and consumer standards.
Reed told Laura Kuenssberg extra pay awarded to the boss of Southern Water, which would almost double his income, was “outrageous”.
He urged Southern’s boss to “think how this looks to their customers” and turn down the pay rise.
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The Water Commission’s chair will lay out his recommendations on how to improve the environmental and financial performance of the sector. The government will respond in Parliament.
England has a combined sewage system, which means both rainfall and sewage are processed through the same system. Last year, rainfall levels were up, which could have overwhelmed some water company infrastructure.
However, despite variations in rainfall, discharges that result in serious pollution are a breach of their permits and legal obligations.
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Many incidents are reported to the Environment Agency by the companies themselves, but of 4,000 inspections carried out last year by the regulator, nearly a quarter of sites were in breach of their permits.
A record £104bn is due to be invested into the water sector over the next five years to improve its infrastructure.
As a result, consumer bills are expected to rise on average by £123 annually – though for Southern Water customers this could be as much as £224.
The Environment Agency has also received £189m to support hundreds of enforcement offices to inspect and prosecute water companies, with the fines retroactively paying for this.
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Conservative shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said the government “must be transparent about where the £104bn investment is coming from as some will come through customer bill rises”.
She said plans “must also include credible proposals to improve the water system’s resilience to droughts, without placing an additional burden on bill payers and taxpayers”.
Labour vows to make Britain’s rivers cleanest on record by halving sewage pollution
Environment secretary vows to make UK’s rivers the cleanest since records began. £104bn investment to rebuild the country’s crumbling sewage pipes. New rules to slash pollution and an overhaul of the way water companies are regulated. Comes as government faces public disgust over record sewage spills and rising bills. Independent Water Commission’s landmark review into the ailing water sector is set to be revealed on Monday morning. The Environment Agency revealed that serious pollution incidents caused by water firms across England increased by 60 per cent last year, compared with 2023. The commission was set up by the UK and Welsh governments as part of their response to systemic failures in the industry, although ministers have ruled out nationalising companies. For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org for details. In the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Steve Reed will promise on Sunday to make the UK’s rivers the cleanest since records began with a £104bn investment to rebuild the country’s crumbling sewage pipes.
Mr Reed will also roll out a set of strict new rules to slash pollution and a “root and branch” overhaul of the way water companies are regulated.
With a landmark report into the industry being published on Monday, the environment secretary is to promise families across the country cleaner beaches and healthier rivers.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Reed said Labour would unleash a “water revolution” in response to Sir Jon’s review.
He said leaky pipes and crumbling infrastructure has cost taxpayers tens of billions of pounds, promising the party would look to eliminate sewage pollution in rivers completely by 2035.
And, amid speculation Ofwat is to be scrapped, he said the water regulator “has failed everyone”.
Mr Reed said: “I’m making an absolute commitment, and I’m committed to delivering it.
“My intention, assuming I’m lucky enough to still be in the same job in five years’ time, I would love to sit here with you then and point to places like Windermere and see how much cleaner they are than today.”
Asked whether he would put his job on the line, he said: “Politicians come and say we’re going to do things. Of course our job should be on the line if we don’t.”
Labour’s reforms will mark the first time ministers have set a clear target for reducing sewage pollution against which they can be judged at the next election.
The package is also aimed at reducing phosphorus from treated wastewater by half by 2028 – the pollutant causes algae blooms, which are harmful to wildlife.
The pledge comes as the government faces public disgust over record sewage spills and rising bills, while tasked with turning around the poor governance of debt-ridden water firms.
Mr Reed said: “Families have watched their local rivers, coastlines and lakes suffer from record levels of pollution.
“My pledge to you: the government will halve sewage pollution from water companies by the end of the decade.”
It comes ahead of Monday morning’s publication of the Independent Water Commission’s landmark review into the ailing water sector.
The commission was set up by the UK and Welsh governments as part of their response to systemic failures in the industry, although ministers have ruled out nationalising companies.
The government will respond to the recommendations in parliament on Monday.
The Independent Water Commission’s landmark review into the ailing water sector is set to be revealed on Monday morning (PA Wire)
On Friday, the Environment Agency revealed that serious pollution incidents caused by water firms across England increased by 60 per cent last year, compared with 2023.
The watchdog said companies recorded a total of 2,801 pollution incidents in 2024, up from 2,174 in 2023.
Of these, 75 were categorised as posing “serious or persistent” harm to wildlife and human health, up from 47 last year.
Ministers have vowed a “root and branch reform” to the industry and have introduced a package of measures over the last year to cut pollution levels.
They have banned bonuses for 10 bosses this year and threatened prison sentences for law-breaking executives.
The government has also hailed plans for £104bn of investment into upgrading crumbling pipes and building new treatment works, as well as ringfencing consumer bills for upgrades instead of companies using money for shareholder payouts of executive bonuses.
Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has received a record £189m to support hundreds of enforcement officers for inspections and prosecutions, with fines from companies footing the increase in funding.
Ministers hope this will help to reach the newly announced targets on sewage pollution, which can cause harm to swimmers, loss of aquatic life, and the destruction of ecosystems.
“One of the largest infrastructure projects in England’s history will clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good,” Mr Reed said.
The new pledge also includes working with devolved governments to ban wet wipes containing plastic across the UK, continued work on pre-pipe measures, such as sustainable drainage systems, and the start of trials by water companies of nature-based solutions, such as constructed wetlands.
It comes alongside the storm overflow discharge reduction plan, which has set targets on reducing spills, including a 75 per cent reduction in discharging into high-priority sites, such as rare chalk streams, by 2035.
There is an already existing statutory target to reduce phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater by 80 per cent by 2038 against a 2020 baseline, as well as an interim goal of a 50 per cent reduction by the end of January 2028 under the environmental improvement plan.
Water company sewage pollution to halve by 2030, minister pledges
Reed said he would be held accountable if there had not been improvements in water quality by the next election. Water companies recorded 2,801 pollution incidents in 2024, up from 2,174 in 2023. 75 were considered to pose “serious or persistent” harm to fisheries, drinking water and human health – up from 47 in the year previous.
He told Laura Kuenssberg that he would be held accountable if there had not been improvements in water quality by the next election.
“Politicians come and say we’re going to do things. Of course our job should be on the line if we don’t,” he said.
There has been widespread scrutiny of water companies over the increasing number of sewage discharges into UK waterways amid rising bills – all while the firms paid out millions to executives and shareholders.
The Environment Agency said water companies recorded 2,801 pollution incidents in 2024, up from 2,174 in 2023.
Of those, 75 were considered to pose “serious or persistent” harm to fisheries, drinking water and human health – up from 47 in the year previous.
A landmark review of the industry by the Water Commission is due on Monday, which could include a recommendation to scrap the sector’s regulator Ofwat.
Reed said Ofwat was “clearly failing” and that “regulation must change” – but did not say whether it would be shuttered.
The environment secretary added that he had been given the commission’s report but had not yet had time to read it thoroughly.
New water ombudsman will tackle leaks and incorrect bills
Reed said voters could hold him accountable if there had not been improvements in water quality come the next election. But he stopped short of saying whether Ofwat might be axed altogether – something that could be recommended by the Water Commission. The plan will also see an expanded role for the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), the public body that currently takes on complaints.
Reed said voters could hold him accountable if there had not been improvements in water quality come the next election.
But he stopped short of saying whether Ofwat might be axed altogether – something that could be recommended by the Water Commission in its Monday report.
Former Undertones frontman, Feargal Sharkey, a leading campaigner for cleaner waterways, said he feared the report would not be radical enough to solve the problems facing the sector and would turn out to be a disappointing “flat pancake”.
The latest announcement means the water industry will have a consumer watchdog that will serve as a single point of contact for consumers with complaints, bringing it in line with other utilities.
The plan will also see an expanded role for the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), the public body that currently takes on complaints.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) was unable to put a timescale on the plans for a new ombudsman, but said it would have legal powers to protect customers who are in dispute with their water company.
Source: https://sustainabilitymag.com/news/how-is-the-uks-60-water-pollution-rise-harming-nature