Steve Reed responds to news that the Government may have broken the law over the sewage crisis

Steve Reed MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to the news that the Government may have broken the law over the sewage crisis, said:

“Nothing represents 13 years of Conservative failure more graphically than the sight of stinking, toxic sewage pouring into our rivers, lakes, and seas.

“Rishi Sunak wouldn’t want raw sewage in his private swimming pool, yet he’s happy to let human excrement pollute our waterways.

“This scandal is the Conservatives’ fault. They cut back enforcement and monitoring of the water companies releasing this filth and are now failing to prosecute them when they are blatantly breaking the law.

“In government, Labour will introduce automatic fines for sewage discharges, hold water bosses accountable for their negligence and bring in strict mandatory monitoring of outlets to make sure this never happens again.”

Ends

Notes

• The Office for Environmental Protection found that the government may have broken law over sewage https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66778409