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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that untreated sewage is not discharged into the River Thames.

The amount of sewage discharges by water companies is unacceptable. £1.9 billion has been invested in the Thames Tideway Tunnel, which will be completed in 2025. This project will be the largest privately funded infrastructure project in Europe. The tunnel and other improvements will reduce the annual volume of untreated wastewater entering the tidal Thames by 95%, protecting biodiversity and the public health of river users.