Starmer criticises government’s ‘flimsy’ plan over water pollution in England
Labour has dismissed government plans that could see water companies in England facing tougher fines and penalties as part of efforts to tackle pollution.
The environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, is expected to set out plans next week that ministers believe will “make polluters pay”, with fines levied on water companies put into a “water restoration fund”.
It comes as the latest Environment Agency figures showed that raw sewage was discharged 301,091 times into England’s rivers in 2022 – an average of 825 spills a day.
Clean water has become a politically charged topic in the run-up to May’s local elections, and Labour and the Liberal Democrats are mounting campaigns against the government’s record on sewage spills.
Speaking during a campaign visit in Kent on Saturday, the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, said the plan was a “flimsy” response from ministers.
“What the government has done to our rivers and beaches is turn them into open sewers. I’m here in Kent and it’s a beautiful place, with rivers and beaches that are being polluted and it really, really goes to the heart of how people feel about their environment.
“The government has let them down very, very badly. And this is just a flimsy next step from the government.”
He called for a “strong plan” involving mandatory monitoring and automatic fines to ensure “that those that are responsible are held to account”.
The Liberal Democrats have called on Coffey to resign over the issue.
Coffey said: “I know how important our beautiful rivers, lakes, streams and coastlines are for people and nature – and I couldn’t agree more that more needs to be done to protect them.
“I want to make sure that regulators have the powers and tools to take tough action against companies that are
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