Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Dr
Thérèse Coffey): This government has been clear that sewage
discharging into our rivers is completely unacceptable. In August
2022 this government published the Storm Overflows Discharge
Reduction Plan, with an accompanying impact assessment. It’s a
plan that sets stringent targets to protect people and the
environment. This will require water companies to deliver the
largest infrastructure programme in water company history,
totalling an estimated £56 billion.
Today, we are announcing plans to enshrine the plan further in
law. Through the Environment Act 2021, we will legislate for a
clear target on storm overflow reduction in line with our Plan. A
clear, credible and costed legally binding target will add to our
transparent and determined approach to solve this issue, whilst
keeping consumer bills low. This will also be backed by existing
separate interim targets for bathing waters and our most precious
habitats. This will build on the direction we placed on water
companies to introduce monitoring in 2013, which will reach 100%
by the end of this year. We will also deliver our commitment to
further reform penalties to make them easier to apply, including
proposing an unlimited penalty. We have also demanded that water
companies provide action plans on every storm overflow by the
summer.
