Environment Secretary pledges to halve sewage pollution by 2030
The Government said it marks the first time ministers have set a clear target on reducing sewage pollution to which they will be held accountable.
It also aims to cut phosphorus from treated wastewater in half by 2028 – a pollutant that causes algae blooms which are harmful to wildlife.
The pledge comes as part of ongoing Government efforts to respond to widespread public anger over record sewage spills and rising bills, against a backdrop of poor governance at debt-ridden water firms.
A view of Bewl Water, the largest reservoir in the South East (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Mr Reed said: 'Families have watched their local rivers, coastlines and lakes suffer from record levels of pollution.
'My pledge to you: the Government will halve sewage pollution from water companies by the end of the decade.'
It comes as ministers brace for the publication of the Independent Water Commission's landmark review into the ailing water sector on Monday morning.
The commission was set up by the UK and Welsh governments as part of their response to systemic failures in the industry, although ministers have ruled out nationalising companies.
The Government will respond to the recommendations in Parliament on Monday.
On Friday, the Environment Agency revealed that serious pollution incidents caused by water firms across England increase by 60% last year compared with 2023.
The watchdog said companies recorded a total of 2,801 pollution incidents in 2024, up from 2,174 in 2023.
Of these, 75 were categorised as posing 'serious or persistent' harm to wildlife and human health – up from 47 last year.
Ministers have vowed a 'root and branch reform' to the industry and has introduced a package of measures over the last year to cut pollution levels.
They have banned unfair bonuses for 10 bosses this year and threatened prison sentences for law-breaking executives.
The Government has also hailed plans for £104 billion to be invested into upgrading crumbling pipes and building new treatment works as well as ringfencing consumer bills for upgrades instead of companies using money for shareholder payouts of executive bonuses.
Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has received a record £189 million to support hundreds of enforcement offices for inspections and prosecutions, with fines from companies footing the increase in funding.
A glass of water stands on a bridge over the River Thames in London (PA Archive)
Ministers hopes this will help to reach its newly announced targets on sewage pollution, which can cause harm to swimmers, loss of aquatic live and destruction to ecosystems.
'One of the largest infrastructure projects in England's history will clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good,' Mr Reed said.
The new pledge also includes working with devolved governments to ban wet wipes containing plastic across the UK, continued work on pre-pipe measures, such as sustainable drainage systems and the start of trials by water companies of nature-based solutions, such as constructed wetlands.
It comes alongside the storm overflow discharge reduction plan, which has set targets on reducing spills, including a 75% reduction in discharging into high priority sites, such as rare chalk streams, by 2035.
There is also an already existing statutory target to reduce phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater by 80% by 2038 against a 2020 baseline as well as an interim goal of a 50% reduction by the end of January 2028 under the environmental improvement plan (EIP).
Conservative shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said: 'Labour came to power with big promises to reform the water system, but so far, they have simply copied previous Conservative government policy and have done nothing to stop water bill rises.
'Labour must be transparent about where the £104 billion investment is coming from as some will come through customer bill rises.
'They claim this while they have failed and hindered attempts to secure the funding needed to stabilise Thames Water.
'Labour's water plans must also include credible proposals to improve the water system's resilience to droughts, without placing an additional burden on bill payers and taxpayers.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
Dispute over a major port contract threatens Haiti's fragile political stability
The leader of Haiti's transitional presidential council claimed Wednesday that one of its communications employees was threatened and forced to publish a press release about a key contract involving the country's biggest port and two well-known members of its elite. The incident has deepened infighting within the council and further strained relations between Haiti's government and its private sector as a wealthy businessman prepares to take over the council's presidency on Thursday. Fritz Alphonse Jean, the council's current president, said in a statement that the Aug. 4 press release was published without his approval and despite his objections. He also said he was informed about pressure exerted by unidentified council members to dismiss another communications official who 'had refused to publish the note without his authorization.' Jean said a judge would determine whether to grant a 27-year lease to Caribbean Port Services instead of nine years as originally planned. 'Without this opinion, suspicions of corruption could further tarnish the (council's) credibility,' he said. Jean also demanded that Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé provide the council with explanations previously requested regarding the lease of the Port-au-Prince International Port, located in an area long controlled by powerful gangs. The press release that Jean condemned states the council met with Philippe Coles, president of Caribbean Port Services, and Edouard Baussan, a wealthy businessman with strong ties to Haiti's most powerful politicians. The release claimed that the 'fruitful discussions, conducted in complete transparency,' found that 'all necessary clarifications have been provided' and that the contract between the government and the company is legal. Caribbean Port Services is a private maritime logistics company that operates the international port in partnership with Haiti's Port Authority. It handles about 80% of the port's cargo container volume, according to its website. On Thursday, Jean will step down as council president as part of a rotation. He recently told The Associated Press that starting on Aug. 7, Haiti's two executive branches will be controlled by its private sector. Bocchit Edmond, a former ambassador to the U.S., said a businessman taking leadership of the council is an opportunity for the private sector to prove itself. He also condemned Jean's statement on Wednesday. 'I'm against the public bashing of the private sector,' he said. 'It's not a good thing at all for the country, for its political stability.' However, Jean said that some private sector members 'were active operators of the chaos in which Haiti is currently engulfed.' Some of Haiti's wealthy elites and powerful politicians have long been accused of financing and arming dozens of gangs, which the United Nations has noted in its reports. Gangs now control 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and continue to launch attacks in a bid to control more territory. Jean's announcement comes less than a week after U.S. officials announced they were aware of 'reported bribery attempts' aimed at destabilizing Haiti. In remarks to the AP, Jean called it 'a desperate and trivial effort to attract the sympathy of American congressmen and women, and the U.S. administration.' The council was created following the resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry after gangs launched a series of attacks last year against critical government infrastructure. It is tasked with holding elections by February 2026. ___
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
Electric car grants and discounts round up – Citroen first to get grants, while Vauxhall and Fiat are the latest with discounts
Citroen is the first car maker to offer discounts on its electric car range as part of the official government Electric Car Grants that were announced three weeks ago, with the eligible Citroen models now showing on the official government website as being available with grant money applied to the list price. Models including the Citroën e-C3, e-C4, e-C4 X and e-Berlingo are getting £1,500 off with immediate effect, with customers automatically benefiting from the discounts without having to do any paperwork. The upcoming e-C3 Aircross and e-C5 Aircross models are also set to get the same £1,500 discounts when they go on sale in the coming months. The first official discounts come three weeks after the government's announcement of the Electric Car Grant, and as news broke of a drop in car sales. Overall car sales were down five per cent in July, while there was a clear slow down in the rate of growth of EV sales. It had been expected that there would be a pause in electric car sales as buyers waited to see which cars would be eligible for discounts and which cars wouldn't. One car company executive, speaking anonymously to The Independent, confirmed that dealers were reporting customers cancelling orders until it was clear which cars were and which cars weren't eligible for grants.. The electric car grant was announced on Monday 14 July and went live on Wednesday 16 July. Car makers must apply for the grants, which are available on EVs up to the price of £37,000 and where car makers have signed up to low-carbon 'science-based targets' around manufacturing. Grants of between £1,500 and £3,750 will be available for eligible cars. While the announcement of the EV grant has been broadly welcomed by car makers, it took many of them by surprise, with some learning about the government plan via the media. As car companies grapple with the process involved in getting approval for the grants, many of them have introduced their own discount schemes to incentivise customers to keep buying their electric cars. The latest discounts come from Vauxhall and Fiat – fellow Stellantis brands to Citroen. Vauxhall is offering £1,500 off its entire range of Corsa, Frontera, Mokka, Grandland, Astra and Astra Sports Tourer, with additional benefits including up to £1,500 deposit contribution on zero per cent finance on some models, or a £2,500 deposit contribution towards finance on the Grandland. Vauxhall's 'Electric All In' offer of £500 towards a home charger or public charging also still stands. Fiat is offering £1,500 off its 500e, Fiat 600e, Abarth 500e and Abarth 600e all-electric models, with zero per cent finance still available on the 500e. Volkswagen Group brands VW, Skoda and Cupra have launched a 'Grant Guarantee' discount scheme while waiting for news from the government. VW is offering £1,500 off selected ID. 3 and ID. 4 all-electric models. 'We welcomed the Government's announcement of its Electric Car Grant and wanted to make sure customers could start benefitting from lower-cost electric motoring as quickly as possible. We have already seen an uplift in enquiries since the Government's grant was announced, which is great news for Volkswagen's electrification plans,' said Rod McLeod, Director of Volkswagen UK. Skoda is offering the same £1,500 discount across its Elroq and Enyaq model range, but not the Enyaq Coupe, while Cupra is offering £1,500 off many of its Cupra Born models. VW, Skoda and Cupra offers apply to cars bought during August and registered for the new 75 registration plate with deliveries starting on September 1. However, VW, Skoda and Cupra have all made it clear that if the government's EV grant comes through, the brands' Grant Guarantee scheme will end – customers won't be able to receive both. Last week, Volvo introduced a discount in lieu of any government grant, with £1,500 off any of the brand's EX30 electric models, even those that cost over the £37,000 limit. Smart also offered its own 'EV grant' with £1,500 off the whole range of Smart #1 and #3, in addition to existing incentives. That means you could save a total of £3,500 off a Smart #1, for example. Hyundai has its own electric grant, with the biggest discount available on Hyundai's smallest model. The Hyundai Inster – recently voted World Electric Car of the Year – gets a £3,750 'grant' bringing the entry-level car's price down to £19,755. There's still an additional £500 off if you go for Hyundai's low-rate PCP finance, too. The rest of the Hyundai electric car range, including models over £37,000, are also getting a £1,500 discount as part of the offer. Buyers of Chinese-made EVs were also left to reconsider their purchases with news that the government wasn't expecting those models to be eligible for the Electric Car Grant. Speaking on Radio Four, Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood, said: 'We don't expect any cars that are assembled in China to be eligible for this scheme. 'The grant is restricted to those manufacturers that reach minimum environmental standards. And, frankly, if you generate a lot of the electricity that powers your factory through coal power stations, then you are not going to be able to access this grant." The Department for Transport told The Independent: 'We expect dozens of models will be eligible but manufacturers will need to apply for the grant before we can confirm eligibility. We have held multiple calls with vehicle manufacturers to explain vehicle eligibility and how to apply for the grant. These discussions will continue to ensure manufacturers have all the information they need. 'All eligible models will be published on once the application has been approved. Applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis and as quickly as possible.' Chinese car brands have been quick to react by introducing their own 'EV grants' to stimulate demand among private buyers. Leapmotor was first out of the blocks with its Leap Grant, offering £1,500 off the Leapmotor T03, making it Britain's cheapest car at £14,495, while the Leapmotor C10 family SUV gets a £3,750 discount, taking the price down to £32,750. MG followed with its own EV grant, offering a discount of £1,500 off the MG4 and MGS5 EVs on top of existing offers, while another Chinese brand, GWM, has taken the full £3,750 off its GWM ORA 03 models with its Green Grant, bringing the starting price down to £21,245. Relatively unknown Chinese brand Skywell is also throwing its own EV grant of £3,750 on top of a £6,000 dealer deposit contribution if you buy the Skywell BE11 on finance. That brings the potential list price down to just £27,245 for the entry-level car. The BE11 is far from the best EV you can buy, but at that price it represents a lot of car for the money. It's not just Chinese brands applying discounts, though. Alfa Romeo is offering £1,500 off its Alfa Junior Elettrica range, on top of existing zero per cent finance offers and the promise of a free EV home charger with standard installation.
Leader Live
37 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Starmer defends Palestine recognition plan but hits out at Hamas
Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to meet certain conditions, including addressing the humanitarian crisis, implementing a ceasefire and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution. But he insisted the move was not a propaganda boost to Hamas, saying the 'terrorist organisation' could play 'no part in any future government'. The Prime Minister's approach has been criticised by the Israeli government and a protest over his stance is due to take place in London at the weekend. Demonstrators, including some British family members of hostages still held by Hamas, will march on Downing Street calling for the release of the remaining hostages before any talk about the recognition of Palestine. Asked if he had given Hamas a public relations boost by talking about recognition, Sir Keir told Channel 5: 'They should release the hostages straight away and they should play absolutely no part in the governance of Palestine at any point.' He said the hostages taken during the October 7 2023 attacks had been held for a 'very, very long time in awful circumstances, unimaginable circumstances, and Hamas is a terrorist organisation, and that's why I'm really clear about Hamas'. Sir Keir added: 'We do, alongside that, have to do all that we can to alleviate the awful situation on the ground in Gaza. We need aid in volume and at scale.' People have seen the 'images of starvation' in Gaza, he said, adding that 'the British public can see it and there's a sense of revulsion of what they're seeing'. The Government had to do 'everything we can' to get aid in, working with other countries 'and it's in that context that I set out our position on recognition'. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said on Tuesday that 'Keir Starmer has made a mistake' and 'what we need to focus on now is a ceasefire and getting the hostages home'. Tzipi Hotovely, Israeli ambassador to the UK, said the actions of Hamas 'must never be rewarded'.
