Water bosses face jail term for sewage discharge under new law | UK News

Water company bosses could face jail terms for repeatedly polluting the UK’s rivers and seas, the government has announced.

The Water (Special Measures) Bill sets out Labour’s approach to tackling the widespread dumping of sewage into Britain’s waterways, including new powers for regulators to ban huge bonuses.

Campaigners and politicians have called for tougher measures against the sector, with some, including the Green Party, calling for it to be taken into government ownership.

Last year, there were 3.6 million hours of raw sewage discharges into water bodies in England – more than double the amount recorded in 2022.

Such spills can cause serious damage to local wildlife and cause illness in people who spend time in the water, such as swimmers and surfers.

Even the country’s most famous beauty spots have not escaped the effects of the spills. In February, sewage was illegally pumped into Windermere in the Lake District for 10 hours, BBC News reported.

An analysis by Friends of the Earth recently found that more than a quarter of flooding in England’s seas last year occurred within two miles of seaside resorts.

Southern Water was fined £330,000 for an hours-long sewage spill in Hampshire that killed 2,000 fish in 2019. In addition, Thames Water discharged more than two billion litres of raw sewage into the River London over two days in October 2020.

The new bill increases the Environment Agency’s ability to bring criminal charges against water officials who break the law.

According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), only three people have been prosecuted by the agency without appeal since privatisation.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: ‘The public is outraged that in 21st century Britain, record levels of sewage are being pumped into our rivers, lakes and seas. After years of neglect, our waterways are now in an unacceptable state.

‘That is why I am announcing today that immediate action is being taken to put an end to the shameful behaviour of the water companies and their bosses.

‘Under this government, water managers will no longer be lining their own pockets while pumping this crap. If they refuse to cooperate, they could end up in the dock and in jail.’

He said more legislation was on the way to “fundamentally change the way the water sector is run” and accelerate infrastructure improvements.

The introduction of the new bill has been welcomed by regulators Ofwat and the Environment Agency.

Ofwat CEO David Black said the proposed legislation “strengthens our powers and will help us deliver transformative change in the water sector”.

Alan Lovell, chairman of the Environment Agency, added: ‘The tougher penalties introduced by the Bill will act as a deterrent to illegal behaviour and allow us to close the justice gap, as well as take enforcement action more quickly.’

But Louise Reddy, policy officer at the campaign group Surfers Against Sewage, called on ministers to take more drastic measures.

She said: ‘We are pleased to hear from the new government that they plan to tackle sewage discharges and that further measures will be taken to do this.

‘But as things stand, these commitments will only scratch the surface of the problem. They require a fundamental overhaul of the water system to find and address the problems at its core.

“Now is the time to take action. The government needs to solve the problem, not just stick on band-aids.”

What does the new water bill include?

The Water (Special Measures) Bill introduces four key changes in an effort to encourage industry leaders to tackle the problem of pollution.

• Stricter punishments: Currently, the maximum penalty for most cases of obstruction is a fine. The bill would introduce the threat of jail time for executives who break the law.
• Ban bonuses:Regulator Ofwat could stop paying performance-related bonuses to bosses and senior managers unless they meet high standards on the environment, their consumers, financial resilience and criminal liability.
• Make fines stricter: The Environment Agency currently faces a number of obstacles in imposing fines for minor, frequent offences. The new law would lower the standard of proof from criminal to civil and make various offences automatically punishable, removing the need for lengthy investigations.
• Boost monitoring:Water companies must publish real-time data for every flood emergency in England in a ‘clear, accessible format’.

Contact our news team by emailing [email protected].

For more stories like this, Check out our news page.

MORE: Map reveals England’s top 10 pollution hotspots

MORE: Priti Patel becomes first candidate knocked out of Conservative Party leadership race

MORE: Keir Starmer risks irritating No 10’s most beloved resident with his latest move

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.