The Environment Agency has released it’s latest figures for sewage discharges in England and Wales. In 2024 over 3.6 million hours of continuous sewage spilling took place in our rivers, coasts and beauty spots.
This makes last year the worst on record for sewage discharging. The crisis is actually getting worse.
ALDC has produced some updated Campaign Resources for you to use in your local area. You can find these here.
The updated Council Motion below uses the most recent sewage dumping figures for your council area and calls upon the Government and your local Water Company to take decisive action and make themselves accountable to local residents.
The template Council Motion is below:
Council notes with great concern the figures recently released by the Environment Agency that show there was XXXX hours of sewage discharges in local [Rivers / Waterways / Coastal Areas] in [AREA NAME] last year.
Across England, a total of 3.6 million hours of sewage discharging took place into natural areas last year. This is the highest number on record, and over 8000 hours more than the previous year.
Council believes the sewage crisis continues to be a national scandal. Successive Conservative and Labour Governments have failed to take any meaningful action to stop it and have allowed it to get worse.
Council believes it is unacceptable that Water Companies continue to pay their executives millions of pounds in pay, pensions and bonuses while polluting continues. Council further believes that local residents should not bare the cost of Water Companies improving their infrastructure at reducing sewage discharges through increased water bills.
Council notes the commitment of the Liberal Democrats to tackle the sewage crisis. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has called for the water regulator OFWAT to be scrapped and a new Clean Water Authority to be introduced with significant powers to set binding targets for Water Companies to cut their pollution, and to revoke the licenses of those that fail to meet them.
Council resolves to:
- Instruct the Chief Executive / Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of the State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to make clear the position of this council, to demand that all Water Company executive bonuses are paused and to demand that a new regulatory regime be introduced for Water Companies that includes a new Clean Water Authority with powers to set binding targets and revoke licenses if pollution continues.
- Invite the Chief Executive of [INSERT LOCAL WATER COMPANY] to a special meeting of Full Council to answer questions from councillors and members of the public and to establish urgent commitments and timescales to improve their infrastructure and reduce sewage discharges in [AREA NAME].
- Instruct the Chief Executive / Leader of the Council to write to environmental charities The Rivers Trust and River Action to demonstrate the council’s commitments and support to work with partners to improve water quality in [AREA NAME].