Water Firms Apologise For Sewer Discharges
Written by HFM News on 18th May 2023
Water companies supplying the HFM region have apologised for failing to do enough to stop sewage from flowing into rivers and the sea.
There were 479 discharges of sewerage into waterways in the Harborough District last year according to the Environment Agency, equating to a total of 2,743 hours throughout 2022.
These events see untreated waste water released into bodies of water when systems become overwhelmed, often caused by heavy rainfall, blockages or unexpected equipment failures.
Trade body Water UK has apologised on behalf of suppliers, including Severn Trent Water and Anglian Water, and says £10 billion will be invested to improve sewers.
Gail Pickles, River Protection Lead at Severn Trent said: “We fully welcome today’s announcement from Water UK and we support the commitments set out by the sector. We completely understand why people feel let down by all water companies when it comes to rivers, and we want to make it right.
“That’s why at Severn Trent we are spending hundreds of millions of pounds a year to make our rivers as healthy as they can be.
” In the first year of our work, we’ve reduced our impact by a third, but we know there’s more to do, and we’ll go further and faster to fix things as quickly as we can.”
A spokesperson for Anglian Water said: “We fully support WUK’s apology on behalf of the wider industry. We know we all need to act faster to address storm overflows.
“To our customers, we’re sorry. We share your aspirations that our rivers should be beautiful places, rich in nature, that can be enjoyed, and we are determined to play our role in making that a reality.”
Pic: Anglian Water
