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 she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in phosphate levels in river water-courses in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Environment Act sets targets to reduce phosphate entering rivers from sewage treatment. In Surrey Heath, the phosphorous permit at Camberley STW will be reduced to 0.25 mg/l as part of a Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) improvement scheme.

The Environment agency is actively working with water companies to review nitrate levels in the river Thames and influence the safeguard zone action plans.