Sewage: UK 'running out of time' to tackle crisis as water industry action plans delayed

A campaigner has warned that the UK is “running out of time” to tackle the sewage pollution crisis as documents released after Freedom of Information Act requests by the Guardian found that plans have been delayed. The paper revealed that plans to tackle sewage have been delayed by four months with no publication date in sight.

Last May the water industry representatives, Water UK, promised to release a £10bn national overflows plan, planning to publish the plans by late summer after requesting them in April. Newly released documents, revealed after Freedom of Information Act requests submitted by the Good Law Project, show the environment minister Rebecca Pow wrote to water companies asking them to submit action plans by 18 August for publication - but some had still not provided data for their plans.

By August Ms Pow was still requesting information from water companies. It is understood the plans to deal with sewage are unlikely to be published by March which is when the overflow statistics for the year will be published.

The Guardian also reports that the government has refused to reveal the details of plans which have been submitted by some water companies because “there is a stronger public interest in withholding the information because the water companies intend on publishing the information you have requested in the near future." Mark Barrows, an underwater filmmaker for Beneath British Waters, who films the extent of sewage in UK rivers, told NationalWorld that the government “has not and never will take the sewage scandal seriously”.

He said: “Nothing surprises me with this government. The campaigners nationally know what needs to be done yet we are here with another delay. What we need is clear action and for it to be acted upon as sadly I fear we may be running out of time. In conclusion just ask, why are the water companies so heavily protected?".

In response to the Guardian’s revelations a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told the paper: “Last year we demanded a clear action plan on every storm overflow from water companies, prioritising those that are spilling at a high level and into bathing waters or high priority nature sites. These have now been received and are being evaluated ahead of publication.”

A Water UK spokesperson also said: “Water and sewerage companies have submitted their action plans to Defra. Those plans include proposals to invest £11bn between 2025 and 2030, more than triple the current rate, to cut spills from overflows as quickly as possible.”