WATER corporations that cause environmental degradation attracted criticism within the House of Lords, when using fines was debated.
The debate, on Thursday of last week, had been called by Baroness Grender (Liberal Democrat) to ask about steps “to be sure that fines paid by water corporations are used to repair the damage done by sewage pollution . . . the customarily illegal and regular dumping of sewage”.
“It is a scourge on us all that sewage pollution is damaging so a lot of our watercourses and coastlines — damaging their ecosystems, but in addition our enjoyment of them,” the Bishop of Norwich and the Church of England’s lead bishop for the environment, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, said.
“The Rivers Trust reports that none of our rivers at the moment are in good overall health. . . Fifty-four per cent of our nation’s rivers are impacted negatively by the water sector, mainly through sewage effluent.”
He spoke in regards to the misdemeanours of water corporations: “Thames Water, Wessex Water, and Southern Water collectively released sewage in dry spills for 3500 hours in 2022. All three spilled on the most popular day on record. Surely, with the correct effort and the correct pride within the boardroom and amongst shareholders and the workforce — and with the correct investment in infrastructure — none of this must be the case.
“So, in addition to stopping the sewage pollution, the fines have to be used to revive our rivers and damaged habitats. . . As well because the fines, we’d like to embed culture change and good leadership.”
He quoted the Canticle of the Sun by St Francis of Assisi, he concluded: “When we finally take sewage pollution seriously, we would have the ability so as to add our own ‘Alleluia’.”
Peers expressed concerns that water-company fines weren’t being reapportioned quickly enough, and would go to the Treasury to fix public funds as an alternative. Windrush Against Sewage Pollution was referred to: “One of 34 clean-river groups involved in a legal challenge within the High Court, in an try to push for temporary nationalisation of Thames Water.”
In summing up, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Baroness Hayman (Labour), said that “the concerns in regards to the water industry, and the pollution from it, have to be government priorities.”
