Sewage and Our Water White Paper

I share the anger at the state of the water industry and at rising bills. Our rivers, lakes and seas are polluted with record levels of sewage and water pipes have been left to crumble into disrepair. Water companies have been allowed to profit at the expense of the British people when they should have been investing in our water systems. This has been allowed because of a broken regulatory system that has failed both customers and the environment.

I also know sewage has been a really awful issue in our community, and I have been in contact with constituents and water companies alike to raise my concerns about the water and sewage pollution we have seen in our rivers and the sea. I recently met with Heidi Mottram, the Chief Exec of Northumbrian Water, to discuss the repeated concerns of constituents that sewage is still being pumped into our seas, and contacted everyone who was in touch directly.

I am in full support of the upcoming Water Bill, which is a central part of our Government’s programme and a priority for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It will be an opportunity to progress an ambitious, coherent reset of the legislative framework around water.

I strongly welcome our Government’s White Paper, A New Vision for Water, published in January, which lays the groundwork for new legislation on water reform. This will drive the transformatory change we need to ensure a resilient and sustainable water system that works for customers, the environment and future generations.

The White Paper sets out once-in-a-generation reforms, building a water system fit for the future. It proposes a single, more powerful regulator to eliminate the current confusion, duplication and gaps in regulatory oversight, and an independent water ombudsman to resolve consumer disputes fairly.

It emphasises a prevention-first approach, introducing an MOT for water company infrastructure and a performance improvement regime to allow the regulator to step in faster. There will also be reforms to regional planning to bring together all parties to tackle pollution and manage resource.

I also 100% support the tightening of agricultural standards to reduce pollution at source. I welcome work by the Water and Farming Ministers to bring together representatives from farming, environmental groups and water companies under the Addressing Pollution from Agriculture programme. These representatives will meet regularly until the summer to look at ways to tackle agricultural pollution. I will follow updates and look forward to learning about the group’s outcomes.

I am pleased Ofwat blocked £4 million in water company bonuses in the first year of its new rule preventing bonuses that do not meet Ofwat’s expectations being paid for by consumers. I supported the Government’s Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 which introduced this rule.

As you may know, our Government has pledged to publish a transition plan this year to ensure a stable roadmap for water industry reform, working alongside the Welsh Government. I will follow developments on this, and would be happy to keep you updated too.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this important issue. I assure you I will continue to support efforts to make our water system cleaner, fairer and more resilient.