To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Environment Agency inspections carried out at wastewater treatment works and at water-company-operated sewage pumping stations and combined sewer overflows in 2025-26, if she will publish a breakdown of (a) how many, and which, sites...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Environment Agency inspections carried out at wastewater treatment works and at water-company-operated sewage pumping stations and combined sewer overflows in 2025-26, if she will publish a breakdown of (a) how many, and which, sites...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Environment Agency on the failure of English water and sewerage companies to meet its requirements for their Pollution Incident Reduction Plans; and whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Environment Agency on the failure of English water and sewerage companies to meet its requirements for their Pollution Incident Reduction Plans; and whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has considered the feasibility of establishing a publicly owned regional water corporation to provide water and sewerage services in North West England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has considered the feasibility of establishing a publicly owned regional water corporation to provide water and sewerage services in North West England.

We have strengthened regulation and enforcement, driving record water company investment into waste water infrastructure to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales. The strengthened Water Bill will go further in tackling sewage pollution from water companies, private sewage and catchment-wide pre-pipe and source-control conditions.

We have strengthened regulation and enforcement, driving record water company investment into waste water infrastructure to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales. The strengthened Water Bill will go further in tackling sewage pollution from water companies, private sewage and catchment-wide pre-pipe and source-control conditions.

A recent report by Surfers Against Sewage alleges that water companies across England failed to report more than 50,000 sewage spills within the legally required timeframe in just the first half of this year. Like many residents across Weston, Worle and the villages, I am deeply concerned about the impact of sewage pollution and will always urge the Government to go faster and harder to tackle the crisis. Will the Minister tell us what more the Government will do to hold water companies to account in coastal communities such as mine, so constituencies have confidence that our much-loved waterways and coastlines are protected?

A recent report by Surfers Against Sewage alleges that water companies across England failed to report more than 50,000 sewage spills within the legally required timeframe in just the first half of this year. Like many residents across Weston, Worle and the villages, I am deeply concerned about the impact of sewage pollution and will always urge the Government to go faster and harder to tackle the crisis. Will the Minister tell us what more the Government will do to hold water companies to account in coastal communities such as mine, so constituencies have confidence that our much-loved waterways and coastlines are protected?

My hon. Friend is right to be angry about the failure of water companies to report sewage pollution on time. Our Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 will enact automatic penalties for companies that fail to report sewage pollution within four hours. As he will have seen from South West Water’s recent £8 million fine for sewage pollution incidents, this Government take enforcement seriously.

My hon. Friend is right to be angry about the failure of water companies to report sewage pollution on time. Our Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 will enact automatic penalties for companies that fail to report sewage pollution within four hours. As he will have seen from South West Water’s recent £8 million fine for sewage pollution incidents, this Government take enforcement seriously.

We desperately need to reduce rainwater run-off into our sewage system to prevent storm overflows. In Bath, Wessex Water runs community water butt schemes and flood mitigation pilots, which prevent rainwater run-off from entering our sewers, ensuring they are not overwhelmed. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that more customers and householders can have access to water butts?

We desperately need to reduce rainwater run-off into our sewage system to prevent storm overflows. In Bath, Wessex Water runs community water butt schemes and flood mitigation pilots, which prevent rainwater run-off from entering our sewers, ensuring they are not overwhelmed. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that more customers and householders can have access to water butts?

The hon. Lady raises one of my favourite things, which is talking about pre-pipe solutions: in a nutshell, how we prevent—[Interruption.] They are very exciting. They are about how we prevent water from entering the sewage system and overwhelming it in the first place. They link perfectly with nature-based solutions, help to ensure that our soils are wetter and help against drought. I agree with the hon. Lady that we need more of them, and that includes water companies providing water butts for more of their customers. That will help with the overwhelming of the sewage system and help customers to water their gardens when there is less rain.

The hon. Lady raises one of my favourite things, which is talking about pre-pipe solutions: in a nutshell, how we prevent—[Interruption.] They are very exciting. They are about how we prevent water from entering the sewage system and overwhelming it in the first place. They link perfectly with nature-based solutions, help to ensure that our soils are wetter and help against drought. I agree with the hon. Lady that we need more of them, and that includes water companies providing water butts for more of their customers. That will help with the overwhelming of the sewage system and help customers to water their gardens when there is less rain.

Last year, there were 392,000 sewage spills across our country, 4,000 of which happened in the precious waters of Cumbria’s lakes and dales, and meanwhile companies rewarded their shareholders for that failure with increased dividends of £845 million. Isn’t it time instead to put failing water companies into administration? In the forthcoming water Bill—it would be good if the Minister could tell us when we might expect it—will the Minister bring forward a plan to create a new watchdog, with teeth, and transform our water companies into being mutually owned, so that money stops leaking out of the system and instead funds a clean-up of our waterways and water industry?

Last year, there were 392,000 sewage spills across our country, 4,000 of which happened in the precious waters of Cumbria’s lakes and dales, and meanwhile companies rewarded their shareholders for that failure with increased dividends of £845 million. Isn’t it time instead to put failing water companies into administration? In the forthcoming water Bill—it would be good if the Minister could tell us when we might expect it—will the Minister bring forward a plan to create a new watchdog, with teeth, and transform our water companies into being mutually owned, so that money stops leaking out of the system and instead funds a clean-up of our waterways and water industry?

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will have noticed that, since we came into power, we have been taking enforcement seriously. Fines just this year include a £7.1 million fine and a £2.4 million fine for illegal sewage pollution against Southern Water and a £7.87 million fine against South West Water—and I have not even included all the Ofwat enforcement undertakings and the fines included there. He will have heard what our Prime Minister said: we are strengthening our water Bill and will bring it forward soon. We are not taking options off the table, and we are serious about fixing the mess that we were left to deal with when we came into power.

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will have noticed that, since we came into power, we have been taking enforcement seriously. Fines just this year include a £7.1 million fine and a £2.4 million fine for illegal sewage pollution against Southern Water and a £7.87 million fine against South West Water—and I have not even included all the Ofwat enforcement undertakings and the fines included there. He will have heard what our Prime Minister said: we are strengthening our water Bill and will bring it forward soon. We are not taking options off the table, and we are serious about fixing the mess that we were left to deal with when we came into power.

What steps she is taking to help reduce sewage discharges into waterways.

What steps she is taking to help reduce sewage discharges into waterways.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the financial cost to United Utilities since 2015 arising from (a) court fines, (b) enforcement undertakings, (c) Ofwat penalties and underperformance payments and (d) other regulatory enforcement relating to pollution and sewage...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the financial cost to United Utilities since 2015 arising from (a) court fines, (b) enforcement undertakings, (c) Ofwat penalties and underperformance payments and (d) other regulatory enforcement relating to pollution and sewage...

To ask His Majesty's Government what recompense is available to customers of water companies that have disposed of sewage unlawfully or unsafely through the repeated discharge of sewage into rivers and other watercourses.

To ask His Majesty's Government what recompense is available to customers of water companies that have disposed of sewage unlawfully or unsafely through the repeated discharge of sewage into rivers and other watercourses.

To ask His Majesty's Government how many breaches of permit conditions by water companies (1) are recorded, (2) are investigated, and (3) result in prosecution.

To ask His Majesty's Government how many breaches of permit conditions by water companies (1) are recorded, (2) are investigated, and (3) result in prosecution.

To ask His Majesty's Government whether all instances of discharge of sewage into a watercourse constitute a permit breach on the part of a water company.

To ask His Majesty's Government whether all instances of discharge of sewage into a watercourse constitute a permit breach on the part of a water company.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department are taking to ensure the effective implementation of (a) fines, (b) a moratorium on performance-related remuneration to senior executives and (c) other consequences for Wessex Water for increases in sewage overflows in the last...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department are taking to ensure the effective implementation of (a) fines, (b) a moratorium on performance-related remuneration to senior executives and (c) other consequences for Wessex Water for increases in sewage overflows in the last...

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to raise public awareness of the impact of directing rainwater into the foul sewer network on sewage overflows and river water quality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to raise public awareness of the impact of directing rainwater into the foul sewer network on sewage overflows and river water quality.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing surface water inflows to the foul sewer network on storm overflow discharges into rivers and other watercourses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing surface water inflows to the foul sewer network on storm overflow discharges into rivers and other watercourses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of surface water entering foul sewers on sewer overloading during periods of heavy rainfall.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of surface water entering foul sewers on sewer overloading during periods of heavy rainfall.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of sewage pollution on the health of people using inland waters for recreation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of sewage pollution on the health of people using inland waters for recreation.