Sewage: Waste Disposal

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered at on 23 March 2023.

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Photo of Tim Farron Tim Farron Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Communities and Local Government)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times each water company breached their storm overflow permits in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.

Photo of Rebecca Pow Rebecca Pow The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

National Compliance Assessment Database (NCAD) data for breaches of storm overflow permits in 2020/21/22:

Water Company

2020

2021

2022

all breaches

overflow conditions

all breaches

overflow conditions

all breaches

overflow conditions

Anglian Water

39

22

10

6

36

8

Northumbrian Water

63

53

15

13

27

4

Severn Trent

84

51

21

17

50

12

South West Water

148

58

37

22

42

11

Southern Water Services

81

29

77

52

195

67

Thames Water

56

36

29

23

51

33

United Utilities

95

79

40

35

52

21

Wessex Water

106

69

9

7

39

15

Yorkshire Water

169

66

35

23

62

23

TOTAL

841

463

273

198

554

194

  • The data includes breaches for all permits with a storm overflow condition: network storm overflows; sewage pumping station; sewage treatment works storm overflows; and sewage treatment works storm tank discharges.
  • All breaches refers to all permit conditions recorded under the assessed activities in bullet point 1, including breaches for general management, telemetry, nature of discharge, access to sample point etc.
  • Overflow Conditions only includes breaches or potential breaches in relation to unauthorised discharges linked to rainfall conditions, i.e. discharges which may have occurred not due to rainfall or snowmelt.
  • The 2020 numbers are higher because trial data analysis carried out by the Environment Agency last year identified more breaches.
  • We will not let companies get away with illegal activity and where breaches are found, we will not hesitate to hold companies to account. Since 2015, the Environment Agency have concluded 58 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies securing fines of over £142m. We recently announced water companies will face higher penalties that are quicker and easier to enforce.

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