Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to eliminate sewage overflow releases into (a) the River Loddon and (b) other protected chalk streams.

Through the Water Industry National Environment Programme, the Environment Agency (EA) is driving improvements at sewage treatment works including in the Loddon catchment. These include upgrades to deliver against the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan and other investigations and improvement schemes which Thames Water are required to complete.

The EA has inspected all Thames Water sewage treatment works within the River Loddon catchment. Any permit breaches it identifies are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and any confirmed serious breaches are investigated and enforced against in line with the EA’s enforcement and sanctions policy.

Across England, over £10 billion is being invested to improve about 2,500 storm overflows by 2030, with upgrades prioritised at high priority sites including chalk streams.