Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what compensation do water companies who have released sewage into the river pay to (a) residents and (b) businesses when they flood with contaminated water.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government considers the level of sewage being discharged to our waterways to be unacceptable. However, sewage is sometimes released to waterways under strict conditions to avoid it backing up into peoples’ homes and businesses.
Water companies are obliged to provide sewerage services under the Water Industry Act 1991. If a water company has failed to provide minimum standards of service to consumers, consumers are entitled to complain to their provider. We expect companies to respond to complaints appropriately and in a timely manner.
This Government is acting to drive down flood risk from every angle. At the last spending review the government increased funding for maintenance of flood defences by £22 million per year, so now over £200 million per year goes on maintenance. This funding ensures flood defences are kept in good working order.
Homeowners and businesses should contact their insurance provider if their property has been flooded. Flood Re is a joint government and insurance industry re-insurance scheme for UK households at high flood risk, available via more than 85 insurance brands.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects sewage releases into (a) the River Foss, (b) the River Ouse and (c) their tributaries to stop.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is clear that the amount of sewage currently being discharged into our waters is unacceptable. Through the government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, we have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce the use of storm overflows. Our Plan will eliminate ecological harm from all storm sewage discharges by 2050.
In 2023 the Environment Agency carried out 17 targeted compliance inspections of Yorkshire Water’s waste-water treatment works which discharge into the Foss/Ouse and their tributaries.
Within the current Price Review Period, which runs from 2020 to 2025, Yorkshire Water will be improving Hutton and Stillington treatment works, which discharge into the Foss catchment, in order to ensure they comply with requirements under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). These improvements should reduce Phosphorus from the final effluent, and drive improvement of the WFD status.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 improve the quality of water in rivers and streams in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are committed to continue to improving water quality and are delivering the record investment, the stronger regulation and the tougher enforcement to improve our water for our own health, for nature and the economy. For example, on 20 February we announced plans to more than quadruple Environment Agency (EA) water company inspections, strengthening oversight, reducing the reliance on self-monitoring.
The EA is conducting a major investigation into potential widespread non-compliance by water and sewerage companies at sewage treatment works and has issued 7 warning letters to Anglian Water this financial year for serious or significant offences.
Through the Asset Management Plan (AMP), Anglian Water have an obligation to improve their water recycling centres to good ecological status under the Water Framework Directive. A total of 41 phosphorous and 3 ammonia improvements will be delivered by March 2027. A total of 56 phosphorous, 1 ammonia and 1 BOD improvements are planned between 2030-2035.
In June 2023 Omex were fined £510,190 for their pollution of the River Witham. Omex have spent over £3 million in making good damage caused by their pollution, including river remediation works under the Environmental Damage Regulations.
Finally, the EA also work closely with external partner organisations to deliver projects that have benefits around water quality, with regional examples including Water Friendly Farming and the Limestone Becks restoration.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 provide public health warnings over the risk to (a) people and (b) animals of entering rivers into which sewage has been released.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government directed water companies to increase their storm overflow monitoring in 2013 and achieved 100% event duration monitoring (EDM) coverage before the end of 2023. EDM data shows when storm overflows are discharging, and how long discharges have lasted for. The wealth of data collected from these monitors will ensure that we know the full extent of the problem – increasing transparency, revealing the worst-offending overflows, and enabling regulators to hold polluters to account.
In addition, the Environment Agency takes over 7,000 samples each year at England’s 424 designated bathing waters, which are used to determine the annual bathing water classifications. These classifications are displayed on signage at bathing waters and online on the Environment Agency’s Swimfo website, to allow bathers to make informed decisions before entering the water. If there is a pollution incident, a notification is posted on the Swimfo website and on signage at the bathing water. Throughout the bathing season, the Environment Agency makes daily pollution risk forecasts for a number of bathing waters, where water quality may be temporarily reduced due to factors such as heavy rainfall, wind or the tide. When a temporary reduction in water quality is forecast, the Environment Agency issues a pollution risk warning and advice against bathing, enabling bathers to avoid times or locations where the risk of pollution is higher than normal and health risks from bathing may be higher than the annual classification suggests. To reduce risk to health from bathing waters, the UK Health Security Agency and the Environment Agency offer advice in their ‘Swim Healthy’ guidance, which is available to read before making any decision on swimming.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 steps to move water companies that do not restrict sewage spills under an operator of last resort.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There is no operator of last resort for water companies. Ofwat monitors the performance and financial position of all water companies and publishes results on these annually. Ofwat will take action when water company performance is not at the level Government expect, or if their investors need to strengthen their long-term financial resilience.
This Government is holding the water industry to account on a scale never seen before. We have legislated to introduce unlimited penalties on water companies who breach their environmental permits and expand the range of offences to which penalties can be applied. Furthermore, on 20 February, the Government and Environment Agency (EA) announced that they will quadruple the number of water company inspections to crack down on poor performing companies.
We will continue to hold water companies to account and if there are illegal breaches of permits, the regulators will not hesitate to take robust action.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of infrastructure in preventing sewage releases into rivers.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Through the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, we have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce the use of storm overflows, driving the largest infrastructure programme in water company history of £60 billion over 25 years. We expect water companies to utilise a natural capital approach, considering carbon reduction and biodiversity net gain, as well as catchment level and nature-based solutions in their planning where possible.
Water company investment in environmental improvements has been scaled up to £7.1 billion over the period 2020 – 25. This includes £3.1 billion invested in storm overflow improvements specifically. Moreover, we expect water companies to use the next five-year Price Review period (2025-2030) to set bold and ambitious plans that deliver for people and the environment.
On 11 March, the Government announced additional fast-tracked investment of £180m over the next 12 months into improving sewer infrastructure. This is expected to prevent more than 8000 sewage spills polluting English waterways.
Asked by: Danny Kruger (Conservative - Devizes)
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 make an assessment of the potential impact of septic tanks on the cleanliness of rivers; and if he will make it his policy to ban septic tanks (a) in the catchment areas of chalk streams and (b) near other watercourses.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Large numbers of properties in rural areas of England rely on on-site water treatment systems as they are not connected to mains sewerage systems. Septic tanks, the most common on-site sewage treatment systems in these areas, are regulated to ensure they are maintained properly and do not cause pollution. Through our long-term Plan for Water, the Government is committed to delivering a clean water environment for people and nature, including the impact of private sewerage systems on chalk streams. This aligns with our broader commitment to review private sewage discharges regulation to manage environmental risk.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the sewage drainage systems in (a) the UK and (b) York to address (i) demand and (ii) demand when it rains.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The current sewerage system in England, including York, was designed by the Victorians and operates using a combined sewer system, meaning that rainwater from drains and sewage use the same pipes underground. At times of high rainfall the pipes reach capacity, and to stop sewage escaping into homes and streets, the system was designed to discharge to rivers or the sea via storm overflows.
A growing population, an increase in impermeable surfaces and effects of climate change have increased pressure on the system, causing these sewage discharges to happen more frequently.
In September 2023 we published the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan (SODRP). This plan will drive the largest infrastructure programme in water company history with over £60 billion investment over the next 25 years specifically to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows.
Furthermore, all water companies including Yorkshire Water have published drainage and wastewater management plans. These plans set out how water companies intend to maintain, improve and extend robust and resilient drainage and wastewater systems over the next 25 years, and have enabled water companies to publicly share how they plan to meet Defra’s SODRP.
Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the results of the Storm Overflow Assessment Framework will be published for storm overflows potentially discharging untreated sewage into English rivers; and on what occasions there have been (1) overflows where untreated sewage can be lawfully discharged other than as a result of exceptional rainfall, and (2) overflows where untreated sewage cannot be lawfully discharged other than as a result of exceptional rainfall.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Outcomes of the Storm Overflow Assessment Framework (SOAF) investigations within calendar year are reported through the annual Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) reporting from Water and Sewerage Companies to the Environment Agency at the end of February the following year. The Environment Agency publishes these EDM reports by end of March each year.
The Environment Agency will publish the 2023 EDM report in March 2024 and this will contain outcomes from SOAF investigations completed by December 2023. The Environment Agency will assess data provided by each water company in order to assess whether they are meeting their legal obligations with regards to the discharge of untreated sewage.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is he taking to neutralise sewage in rivers.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Through the Government's expanded Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, published in September 2023, we have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce their use of storm overflows.
The Plan requires that water companies must significantly reduce harmful pathogens from storm overflows discharging near designated bathing waters, by either: applying disinfection; or reducing the frequency of discharges to meet Environment Agency spill standards by 2035. It also sets out that water companies will only be permitted to discharge from a storm overflow where they can demonstrate that there is no local adverse ecological impact. This target must be achieved for all storm overflows in England by 2050.
Furthermore, new provisions in the Water Industry Act, inserted by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, will address pollution at source by placing a new statutory duty on water companies in designated catchments to upgrade wastewater treatment works by 2030, reducing the impact of sewage on our waterways and the people who use them.