Water companies pledge £180m investment to prevent sewage spills

Campaigners say water companies’ pledge to invest more than £180m to tackle sewage spills must ensure consumers are not forced to pay to fix the mess. are doing.

Rapid investment by several UK water companies will support efforts to introduce storm overflow prevention measures by April 2025.

These include artificial intelligence systems, accelerating wetland programs, installing new in-sewer monitors, and hiring and training professional staff.

The Government today announced the corporate commitment. It said it hoped the measures would prevent more than 8,000 spills from contaminating Britain’s waterways.

Since the water industry was privatized in 1989, governments and regulators have been unable to secure sufficient investment in the industry’s infrastructure, with management choosing to line their own pockets and that of shareholders.

Anglian will invest £50m, Severn Trent £41m, Southern £10m, South West £32m, United Utilities £39m and Wessex £8m.

Companies such as Northumbrian and Yorkshire Water have not announced any new emergency spending, but have announced plans to invest more in this year’s storm flooding response.

This spending will be in addition to the water company’s previous investment of £3.1bn between 2020 and 2025.

This addresses concerns about levels of pollution being released into rivers, lakes and coastal areas from sources such as overflow pipes and processing plants, harming the health of wildlife and beachgoers, and impacting the tourism and leisure industry. This is the latest measure to

Giles Bristow, president of Surfers Against Sewage Association, welcomed the plans, saying: “The informed and angry voices of voters across the UK are clearly forcing those in power to listen and take steps to address the sewage scandal. We are taking tangible action.”

“[But] Questions remain about the scale and scope of the government’s ambitions for our rivers and seas.

“We will be watching closely to ensure that it is the polluters, not the consumers, who pay to clean up this mess.”