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 legislative steps to ensure that storm overflows cause no environmental harm in protected landscapes by 2035.

Water companies must take action to address storm overflow spills. Between 2025 and 2030, over £10bn, a historic amount, is being invested in improving nearly 2,500 storm overflows across England, targeted at those affecting the most sensitive sites for ecological and human health.

To deliver on the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, we are expecting £60bn of investment to be delivered across England by 2050, which should ensure that no storm overflow is permitted to operate outside of unusually heavy rainfall or to cause any adverse ecological harm.