MP welcomes plan to crack down on water pollution and sewage discharges in Northumberland

Labour’s Water (Special Measures) Bill proposes handing new powers to regulators to ban bonuses and impose tougher penalties for law-breaking, including imprisonment for water bosses.

David Smith, Labour MP for North Northumberland, said: “After 14 years of Conservative failure, water companies are doing what they like, as when Northumbrian Water released more than a million tonnes of raw sewage into the North Sea in 2023 and resisted calls to release the information.

"In 2022, storm overflows were used by Northumbrian, United Utilities and Yorkshire Water across Northumberland nearly 8,000 times, with over 33,000 hours of sewage overspill flowing into rivers like the Tweed, the Coquet, and the Wansbeck, and ultimately into our protected coastline.

“That is why the Labour government has introduced immediate action to end the disgraceful behaviour of water companies and their bosses.

“Under this Labour 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. The Labour Government 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.”

The Bill, which has been introduced to Parliament, would significantly increase the ability of the Environment Agency to bring forward criminal charges.

Other measures in the Bill include severe and automatic fines for a range of offences, including allowing regulators to issue penalties more quickly, without having to direct resources to lengthy investigations.

It will also introduce independent monitoring of every sewage outlet, with water companies required to publish real-time data for all emergency overflows. Discharges will have to be reported within an hour of the initial spill.

Northumbrian Water has announced a five year improvement plan beginning in April which will see the company invest £2.6 billion in the region to improve the local water and sewer network.

This major investment programme will see upgrades to some of the company’s key infrastructure, including pipelines, treatment works and pumping stations, to help further improve the company’s environmental performance and make sure customers receive a reliable and high-quality water and wastewater service.

It means customers will see an increase in their water bill, with an average bill increasing by around £1.53 per week for their water and wastewater services, which equates to around £79 per year or 19%.

Monisha Gower, Northumbrian Water’s assets director commented: "Our £2.6bn capital programme for the next five years represents a massive increase in investment in the North East, almost three times that of the previous five-year period. We've carried out extensive consultation with customers to inform the development of our investment plan, so we know that what we will be delivering aligns with their priorities.

"With £1.9bn of that investment aimed at protecting and enhancing the environment, along with work to ensure the resilience of our water and wastewater services, customers' bills will be spent directly on the things that matter to them and to their communities."