I am aware that some of my political opponents have made misleading comments about my voting record in the House of Commons which have been designed to discredit me and imply that I condone or even encourage the discharge of sewage into the rivers, waterways and seas surrounding Harlow and the UK.
These claims are simply untrue.
The facts of the matter are that I voted against a proposal to reduce the use of storm overflows. Storm overflows automatically discharge sewage into natural waterways to ensure the UK’s Victorian sewerage network can cope during times of overwhelming rainfall, preventing flash floods and avoiding sewage leaks.
The proposal was forecast to cost between £150 and £650 billion - this is more than the entire schools, policing and defence budgets combined. But it’s not just about the money. Reducing the use of storm overflows without a clear and accurately costed plan would have led to increased flash flooding and the potential for raw sewage to flood our streets.
Despite voting against this proposal, I am clear that dumping sewage in our natural waterways must be a last resort. That’s why I have voted in favour of:
- Greater penalties for water companies who do not meet the environmental standards required, such as the record breaking fine handed to Southern Water last year.
- £7.1 billion investment by water companies to improve water quality, including £3.1 billion dedicated to improving storm overflow use.
- Establishing the Office for Environmental Protection as an environmental watchdog.
- New powers to regulate water companies, the Environment Agency and the Government which go beyond those powers within the rejected proposal of changes to storm overflows.
- A legal obligation on water companies to publish data on storm overflow operations in near real time (within 1 hour) of the commencement of an overflow, its location and when it will end.
In March 2022, the Government published the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan consultation, which I encouraged all Harlow residents to respond to. This sets out plans to revolutionise how water companies tackle the number of discharges of untreated sewage. Ofwat, the water services regulator, has welcomed the commitment of water companies to address storm overflows and improve water quality. You can read more about Ofwat here.
Furthermore, in November 2022, fines for dumping in our waterways reached an all time high. Since 2015, over £141 million has been raised through penalties against reckless water companies. New Government rules mean water companies are now required to invest £56 billion to improve and upgrade our water infrastructure.
I am pleased to support a Government with a decisive plan to tackle pollution in our waterways, fine reckless water companies and invest into schemes which serve to benefit and protect our natural environment.
