OEP: ruling shows Conservatives turned blind eye to the sewage scandal and regulator is not fit for purpose

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

Responding to the Office for Environmental Protection finding that the regulators and the government broke the law by being too lenient on water companies that spill sewage, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

“This latest saga in the ongoing sewage scandal confirms what we already knew. The previous Conservative government turned a blind eye to filthy sewage dumping and the regulator is not fit for purpose.

“The public will not tolerate this disgraceful state of affairs any longer. Ministers have to act urgently to completely reform this broken industry and that must start by abolishing Ofwat and replacing it with a new regulator that has real teeth to clamp down on these polluting firms once and for all.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Reporting can be found here.