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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of sewage pollution on the contraction of (a) Hepatitis A an (b) E.coli.

In August 2022 the Government launched the most ambitious plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows in water company history – Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan. Our strict targets will see the toughest ever crackdown on sewage spills and will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.

In the Plan, we have prioritised protecting public health at bathing waters. Overflows that are causing the most harm to public health, or the environment, will be addressed first to make the biggest difference as quickly as possible.

In the Plan, we state that water companies must significantly reduce harmful pathogens from storm overflows discharging into and near designated bathing waters, by either: applying disinfection; or reducing the frequency of discharges to meet Environment Agency spill standards by 2035.

E. coli is one of the standard faecal indicator organisms prevalent in sewage discharges but can also be found in agricultural runoff and road drainage. Bathing waters at beaches, lakes and rivers are designated under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 to protect bathers’ health against faecal pollution. E. coli is one of the standards bathing waters are monitored for.