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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to prevent the pollution of rivers by water companies through the disposal of raw sewage.

There are currently no routine discharges of raw sewage by water companies in England. Discharges from sewage treatment works must comply with permits issued under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (2010) by the Environment Agency. These permits are designed to protect the environment with the provision of sewage treatment to ensure compliance with relevant environmental directives such as the Bathing Water Directive and the Water Framework Directive. It is an offence for operators not to comply with their permit conditions.

Discharges of raw sewage can occasionally occur during pollution incidents. Such incidents may happen if equipment breaks down or if there is damage to or blockages in the sewers allowing raw sewage to enter the environment. In such cases the Environment Agency is notified and the water company is required to mitigate the impact of the pollution. In the most serious cases the Environment Agency can take enforcement action, including prosecution or civil sanctions.