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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to support Havering Council to enhance (a) the River Rom's environmental health, (b) maintenance of river-based infrastructure and (c) development of projects aimed at increasing the River Rom as a community resource.

The Government’s Water (Special Measures) Bill is the first important step in enabling wide, transformative change across the water sector, reducing pollution and cleaning up our waterways. The Government has also launched an Independent Commission into the water sector regulatory system, anticipated to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation.

The Environment Agency (EA) is working collaboratively with partners within the Roding, Beam, and Ingrebourne Catchment Partnership to deliver environmental improvement projects that enhance the water quality and biodiversity of the River Rom.

The EA has been working with Thames Water’s Surface Water Outfall Programme and the local authority to identify and sort out misconnected properties that are discharging untreated effluent into the River Rom. AMP7, the seventh Asset Management Period planned by the UK water industry, runs from 2020 – 2025.