Water companies permit breaches double in just one year

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

• Shocking new data reveals water companies breached their permits over 500 times in 2022 alone 

• Water companies guilty of 392 unauthorised sewage discharges 

• Lib Dems demand water companies are punished and executive bonuses banned

The Liberal Democrats have uncovered the number of times each water company was found to breach their permits over 2021 and 2022.

In a written question by Tim Farron MP to the Department for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment, a Minister confirmed the high levels of permit breaches by water firms. 

A permit breach can occur due to water companies discharging from storm overflows despite there being no rain or snow, or incidents relating to sewage treatment works.

The data finds breaches more than doubled year-on-year, from 273 permit breaches in 2021, to a staggering 554 in 2022. The worst offender is Southern Water, with 195 permit breaches in 2022, up from 77 the year before. 

The Minister also admits that there were 392 breaches over unauthorised sewage discharges in the past two years which were not linked to rainfall or snowmelt.  Southern Water was again the worst offender, with 119 sewage discharges which breached their permit. 

The Liberal Democrats are demanding the Government cracks down on water companies who are found guilty of breaching their environmental permits. The party is calling for water company exec bonuses to be banned for any firm found to breach permits. Last year, water company executives earned £51 million, including £31 million in bonuses. 

Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron said:

“This is a national scandal. These polluting firms are breaching their permits on a daily basis and getting away with it, all whilst pocketing massive profits. Frankly, the whole thing stinks. 

“Ministers are sitting on their hands whilst our rivers and coastlines are destroyed by sewage. We are left to swim in filth because the Government is too scared to confront these firms. It is time Conservative Ministers actually got tough and told water companies to end their shameful sewage dumping. 

“The public won’t stand for this much longer. Ministers need to listen to the country and end this environmental scandal. I don’t think the British public will ever forgive the Conservative Government if these water companies get away with it.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Written Parliamentary Question and Ministerial response to Tim Farron: 

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-03-09/162147/

2020 results are not used in this analysis due to the Government using trial data.

• 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.