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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce sewage discharges in Bournemouth East constituency.

No Government has done more to tackle the issue of storm overflow discharges. Last year this Government launched The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. This will require water companies to deliver their largest infrastructure programme in water company history – a £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.

We are taking action now. Between 2020 and 2025 water companies are investing £3.1 billion in storm overflow improvements. Wessex water are investing in a series of programme (2020-2025) for the Bournemouth East constituency. This includes installations of monitoring at 37 intermittent discharges, investment at sewage treatment works to reduce chemical contamination, alongside schemes to increase storm storage at Sewage Treatment Works and increase the amount of treated flow. There are also investigations to improve quality of surface water overflows and spill reduction schemes – one of which protects bathing waters specifically.