Water campaigners ‘betrayed’ by Labour as more than 15,000 protest sewage pollution

Water campaigners have said they are “deeply concerned” that Labour is backtracking on its commitment to tackle sewage pollution, as more than 15,000 took to the streets of London urging the Government to take bolder steps to save Britain’s rivers.

The previous Conservative Government had turned “a blind eye and weakened rather than strengthened regulation” needed to tackle water pollution, the Labour Party said in its manifesto, as it vowed to end the “Tory sewage scandal”.

Labour has vowed to clean up Britain’s waterways by introducing tougher penalties for polluting firms, banning executives’ bonuses when they do not meet environmental standards and giving regulators more powers to monitor sewage discharges.

However, Rachel Reeves’s Budget last week revealed that the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra), which funds the Environment Agency (EA), will have its day-to-day spending cut in real terms next year.

“This is deeply concerning,” said Charles Watson, chair of River Action UK, one of the main organisers of the March for Clean Water on Sunday, which brought more than 15,000 people to London to protest against sewage pollution.

“Labour campaigned in the election with a firm commitment, in their words, to clean up our polluted waterways once and for all. They won seats on that.

“To stop the pollution, the only real solution is to strengthen regulation. So when we see the department that funds regulation effectively being cut back, we do wonder, are these promises going to be fulfilled?

“It is early days, because we know the headline budget for Defra was cut, but we don’t know if any of those cuts will be passed through to the EA.

“But if they were, that would make us very, very angry, because it would create a real sense of betrayal for people who voted on those election promises.”

Mr Watson told i that the March for Clean Water’s turnout, which included 130 organisations such as the National Trust, GMB Union and RSPB, “exceeded our wildest expectations”.

Commenting on the march’s aims, he said: “In a nutshell, the aims of the march are very simple: to send a major message to Government that you made these promises and we are going to hold you accountable to deliver them.

“It is really to say they can’t get away with making a whole series of promises and not fulfilling them. That’s why these people are here.”

Caz Dennett, 53, of Weymouth, Dorset, has boycotted her wastewater payments since April 2023, owing Wessex Water nearly £850.

Ms Dennett has been ordered to appear in a small claims court over non-payment of her debt, but intends to make a counterclaim against Wessex Water as she is “paying them for a service and they’re not delivering”.

Speaking to i while at the March for Clean Water, Ms Dennett said: “It’s great to see so many different community groups and organisations coming together for one demand, clean water, with one cause, sewage pollution, and one nemesis, the water companies.”

Ms Dennett, alongside sea swimmer Jo Bateman, who is taking South West Water to court over pollution at her local bathing spot in Devon, are among thousands who have decided to boycott their water bills in protest of sewage pollution.

The Labour Government’s new Water (Special Measures) Bill will introduce harsher penalties for law-breaking wastewater firms, with prison sentences of up to two years for executives who fail to cooperate or interfere with investigations.

Water companies will be required to publish near real-time information from storm overflow monitors within an hour of each sewage discharge.

The Bill will also enable the EA to impose “severe penalties” more swiftly, without having to direct significant resources to lengthy investigations, for offences related to pollution.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed announced last month that a new Independent Water Commission will be launched to deliver the “largest review of the sector since privatisation”.

The commission will make recommendations to the Government next year about “how to tackle inherited systemic issues in the water sector”.

Commenting on Mr Reed’s announcement, Ms Dennett said: “I think Steve Reed showed some encouraging intent during his first few days in office as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, but his recent announcement for a commission into regulation spells delay on any real action.

“The legislation and regulation is there, it needs enforcement now. The Labour Government should immediately adopt Clive Lewis’s private members Water Bill which includes a Citizens’ Assembly on water and pass it as an Act of Parliament.”

Roding River Trust founder Paul Powesland, who was also at the March for Clean Water, said: “The rights of nature should have proper representation. It is in all of our hands to step into the realms of guardianship to protect and restore your local river.

“Speak for your river, because they need us and they are dying, and because it’s the most beautiful thing you can do.”

The Budget included an increase to Defra’s resource spending, which covers things like staffing costs, from £4.7bn in 2023/24 to £4.8bn in 2024-25, indicating a 1.9 per cent decrease in real terms due to costs such as inflation.

However, the department’s capital budget, which covers infrastructure such as flood defences, will rise during this period, meaning Defra’s overall budget will be boosted by 2.7 per cent in real terms.

Despite the overall increase in Defra’s budget, campaigners have raised concerns over the reduction to its day-to-day spending, warning that the EA may be less able to monitor pollution and enforce the law.

Ahead of the announcement that Defra’s day-to-day spending will be slashed last week, Thames Water secured a cash lifeline of £3bn following fears that the utility giant would run out of funding by Christmas.

In April, Thames Water told the regulator Ofwat that it would need to raise its bills by 44 per cent between 2025 and 2023 to cope with its £15.4bn debt burden, attract investment and improve its crumbling infrastructure.

It has since said that it will need to increase bills by 59 per cent between 2025 and 2030 to recover from its financial crisis, raising concerns that the company will collapse into a Government-handled administration process, with taxpayers shouldering its debt load.

After securing a £3bn loan last month, the firm is expected to stay afloat till October next year, according to the BBC.

In the lead up to July’s general election, i called on all the major parties to sign up to its five-point manifesto to tackle sewage pollution and save Britain’s rivers, seas and waterways.

While Mr Reed praised “i’s tireless campaigning for clean rivers”, the Government is yet to meet all of i’s manifesto demands, such as increasing funding for the EA or increasing the number of clean bathing spots across the country.

“I share the public’s anger about the appalling state of our waterways,” Mr Reed said. “That is why I took immediate action to start cleaning up the pollution scandal.

“Within 70 days of the election, I introduced new laws to ban the payment of unfair bonuses to polluting water bosses, and bring criminal charges against those who persistently break the law.

“I’ve launched a powerful Commission to lead a root and branch review of the entire water sector to put right what’s gone so badly wrong.

“Our children deserve the same chance we had to enjoy clean waterways for swimming, rowing, surfing or fishing. This is our chance to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.”

A spokesperson for the industry representative Water UK said: “The March for Clean Water is right to demand change and we support its aims. We agree that the system is not working. It is too complicated, too slow and is not delivering for people or the environment.

“No sewage spill is ever acceptable, and water companies want to invest a record £108bn to ensure the security of our water supply in the future and end sewage entering our rivers and seas. Ofwat have proposed cutting this by £20bn.

“As a direct result, more housing will be blocked, the recovery of our rivers will be slower, and we will fail to deal with the water shortages we know are coming. We cannot delay upgrading and expanding vital infrastructure any longer and need Ofwat to reconsider its approach.”

#1. RIVER HEALTH: 77% rivers in good health by 2027

Current situation: England’s rivers were once havens of biodiversity, but the vast majority are now struggling to support healthy ecosystems of plants and wildlife. Just 14 per cent of rivers in England are currently in good ecological health and not a single river has achieved good chemical health. The Government has set a legal target that 77 per cent will achieve good ecological status by 2027 – but without urgent action this will not happen. 

Target: Within its first six months in power, the new Government will publish a roadmap on how it is going to achieve this existing legal target, and its long-awaited chemical strategy. The plan must include increased funding for the Environment Agency so the watchdog can do its job – and enforce the law.  

#2. SEWAGE: Sewage spills will not damage high-priority areas – including bathing spots and nature sites – by 2030

Current situation: Bathing waters and nature sites are being destroyed by sewage spills, but water companies will not be required to clean up all these spaces until 2045. 

Target: Untreated sewage will not cause damage to high-priority sites (which are bathing spots, protected nature sites, National Parks and chalk streams) by 2030. Water companies who fail to meet this target will be prosecuted. Nature-based solutions will be used to clean up sewage wherever possible. 

#3. WATCHDOG: Regulators will stop water companies destroying the environment in pursuit of profit

Current situation: Water companies have paid their investors healthy dividends while failing to invest enough in their infrastructure to prevent environmental harm. This is partly caused by a disjointed regulatory system that prioritises economic outcomes over the environment.  

Target: Within its first year in power, the new Government will publish a plan to reform regulation of water companies. This plan must be legislated on and executed within the first term of Parliament. This will include tougher powers to restrict dividends and bonuses for underperforming water companies, alongside greater resources to pursue prosecution. A “green duty” will be placed on Ofwat, which will force the regulator to place greater emphasis on the environment when making decisions over water companies’ business plans.  

#4. BATHING: Create 100 clean bathing spots in rivers by 2030

Current situation: People in the UK have discovered the joy of wild swimming. But there are only 15 official bathing spots in English rivers, and many are not safe. 

Target: 100 bathing spots in English rivers by the end of the new parliamentary term. The Environment Agency must start monitoring water quality throughout the year and take action to improve water quality at these sites. Bathing regulations will be altered so polluters can be prosecuted when bathing sites fail water quality tests.  

#5. FARMING: Farmers must be funded to improve water quality, and face enforcement action if they damage the environment

Current situation: Agriculture is the biggest source of pollution in many rivers, but many farmers warn they are struggling to make ends meet under post-Brexit farming subsidies. Meanwhile, the Environment Agency is failing to enforce farming water-quality regulations.   

Target: Within its first year in power, the new Government will strengthen its Environmental Land Management scheme so farmers are given more grants, support and advice to undertake activities that will improve water quality. The Environment Agency will commit to a year-on-year increase in the number of farms being inspected – and take enforcement action against those who commit breaches of the “farming rules for water”.