27 March 2025
Responding to the latest official Government data on sewage spills, Eleanor Ward, Senior Policy Officer at Wildlife and Countryside Link, said:
"There is no excuse for an increase in sewage spills - this pollution puts our wildlife at risk, turns our waterways into health hazards for bathers, paddlers and anglers, and jeopardises progress on Government targets to restore nature. We need to see bonus bans coming into effect for the bosses of all water companies where spills have increased. And companies should consider voluntarily committing what they would have paid in bonuses into local river restoration projects.
"The Water Restoration Fund must also be made to work long-term to ensure fines from polluting businesses pay to clean-up the damage they have caused, and don't just end-up in Treasury coffers. And the ongoing review of the water sector must secure more funding for regulators to effectively monitor and prevent pollution, and to take strong enforcement action when companies cause damage to our environment."
ENDS
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