Environment secretary Steve Reed will warn executives from the industry directly at a major speech in Putney, London where he will unveil details of the new water (special measures) bill to end sewage and other pollutants being pumped into the country’s waterways.
Among the new measures announced in the crackdown will be the loss of bonuses, potential prison sentences for industry executives and a duty for the water companies themselves to pay the cost of enforcement.
Mr Reed will tell them: “The public are furious 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 today I am announcing immediate action to end the disgraceful behaviour of water companies and their bosses.
“Under this government, water executives will no longer line their own pockets whilst pumping out this filth. If they refuse to comply, they could end up in the dock and face prison time.
“This bill is a major step forward in our wider reform to fix the broken water system. We will outline further legislation to fundamentally transform how the water industry is run and speed up the delivery of upgrades to our sewage infrastructure to clean up our waterways for good.”
It comes after fury over a number of high-profile incidents involving water companies pumping waste into Britain’s waterways.
It was recently revealed that Thames Water had discharged at least 72 billion litres of sewage into the River Thames since 2020 – roughly equal to 29,000 Olympic swimming pools.
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