Devon water quality: ‘We need it to be clean’

Sewage pollution of our rivers and seas has given rise to one of the most bitter and impassioned political debates of recent months.

The Conservatives say they’ve done more than any previous government to tackle the problem – and we are more aware of pollution incidents now because monitoring has massively increased under their watch.

Opposition parties say the situation is getting worse and the Conservatives should have gone further and faster.

Labour says it would give the water regulator Ofwat powers to block bonuses for the bosses of water companies who cause illegal pollution, while those who oversee repeated law-breaking will face criminal charges.

Companies would be forced to monitor every single water outlet under independent supervision.

The Conservative manifesto says they will work with the regulator to further hold companies to account, including banning executive bonuses if a company has committed a serious criminal breach.

They say this builds on their decision to allow unlimited fines for illegal pollution incidents.

Fines from water companies will be re-invested in river restoration projects.

The Liberal Democrat manifesto promises to introduce a Sewage Tax on water company profits and to enforce existing laws to ensure that the storm overflows only function in exceptional circumstances.

The Lib Dems also say they would set legally binding targets to prevent sewage dumping into bathing waters and highly sensitive nature sites by 2030.

The Green Party manifesto pledges to “end the scandal of sewage pouring into our rivers and seas by taking the water companies back into public ownership”.