The Conservative government's new plan to tackle Britain's sewage crisis has been condemned as a 'cruel joke' and a 'licence to pollute' by opposition parties. Announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on Friday, the plan requires water companies to invest £56bn over 25 years to improve infrastructure and reduce pollution.
Under the plan, water companies must improve sewage overflow management near bathing waters by 2035 and address 75% of overflows at top nature sites. The government claims these are the 'strictest targets ever', but Labour and the Liberal Democrats have dismissed the measures as weak and insufficient.
Labour's shadow environment secretary, Jim McMahon, said: 'This document is neither a plan, nor does it eliminate sewage dumping into our natural environment.' He added that Britain deserves better than a 'zombie Tory government' treating the country as an 'open sewer'.
The Liberal Democrats estimate that under the plan, there will still be 325,000 sewage dumps per year by 2030, only a slight reduction from current levels. Tim Farron, the Lib Dems' environment spokesperson, criticised the plan for allowing water companies to continue polluting while taxpayers foot the bill for improvements. He noted that water bills will rise by an average of £12 between 2025 and 2030, while water company executives enjoy bonuses averaging £670,000.
Defra's plan sets a target to eliminate all sewage discharges by 2050, but critics argue the timeline is too long. Environment secretary George Eustice defended the plan, saying it is the first government action to end environmental damage from sewage spills. However, the plan acknowledges that discharges will only fall by 44,000 by 2030, leaving 325,000 still occurring.
Recent weeks have seen pollution warnings at over 50 British beaches, with campaign group Surfers Against Sewage mapping risks. All 11 major water companies in England and Wales have failed to meet pollution targets, facing financial penalties from regulator Ofwat.
