Heads of water companies must be jailed for serious pollution, the Environment Agency (EA) has said, as it revealed that English water companies have been monitoring shocking levels of pollution over the past year .
The agency said the performance of water companies in pollution had declined to the worst seen in years. He calls for executive directors and board members to be jailed if they monitor serious and repeated pollution because they appeared to be prevented from being intimidated by enforcement measures and court fines for violating environmental laws.
Emma Howard Boyd, president of the EA, said: “The fines currently imposed by the courts are usually lower than the salary of an executive director … Investors should no longer see England’s water monopolies as a one-way bet “.
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The environmental performance assessment released Thursday by the EA gives star ratings for companies. Southern Water and South West Water received a one-star rating, which means low performance, while four companies: Anglian, Thames, Wessex and Yorkshire received only two stars, meaning they need significant improvement.
Seven water companies monitored an increase in serious incidents compared to 2020, with 62 serious pollution incidents by 2021, the highest since 2013.
There were eight of the most serious Category 1 incidents, compared to three in 2020. Seven of the nine water companies were responsible for an increase in serious incidents compared to 2020.
The report said: “The behavior of the sector in terms of pollution was shocking, much worse than in previous years … The directors of the company let it pass and it is simply unacceptable. Over the years, the public has seen how water company executives and investors have been tastefully rewarded while the environment pays the price. Water companies are behaving like this for one simple reason: because they can. We intend to make it too painful for them to continue as they are. “
Northumbrian Water, Severn Trent Water and United Utilities performed more positively and maintained four-star scores.
But the EA said that for several years there had been no general improvement in the total number of incidents or in the fulfillment of the conditions for the discharge of treated wastewater.
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Growing public outrage over the scale of wastewater releases to rivers and coastal waters has forced the agenda to be part of the dominant political debate. Scientists and citizen communities across the country provide evidence of waterway pollution by businesses. Howard Boyd said: “It is appalling that the performance of water companies in terms of pollution has reached a new low.
“Water quality will not improve until water companies have control over their operating performance. For years, people have seen well-rewarded executives and investors while the environment pays the price.
“The directors of the company let this happen. We plan to make them too painful for them to continue like this.”
The EA wants the company’s directors to be fired after overseeing the illegal environmental damage.
EA and Ofwat are conducting major research on the discharge of wastewater into riverways by companies, following shocking failures by most companies. The investigation began after water companies admitted they may have been illegally dumping wastewater into rivers and seas for years.
Water companies can self-report breaches of permits that allow them to release dirty wastewater in exceptional circumstances through storm overflows. Professor Peter Hammond’s evidence that water companies were responsible for 10 times more wastewater discharges than they were revealing, which were provided to MPs, helped force the agencies to tighten their stance against the companies.
The EA report on Thursday said water companies did not report the total number of pollution incidents. The self-report remained at 77%, which was below target. Thames Water performed significantly below target, with only 65% of self-reported incidents.
Southern Water and South West Water performed significantly below target for the way they complied with permits that allow them to occasionally release dirty wastewater from their treatment works.
Hugo Tagholm, of the charity Surfers Against Sewage, said: “The stench of environmental vandalism and unbridled exploitation now hangs permanently over the water industry. The industry has failed catastrophically and action needs to be taken. urgent legislative and legal measures to prevent a few big cats in the industry from stealing clean rivers and shores from the nation, thriving with life. “
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A Defra spokesman said: “This report shows that water companies are ignoring their legal responsibilities. The heads of water companies cannot continue to make big profits while polluting our waters.
“We will not tolerate this behavior and will take solid action if we do not see urgent improvements.”
Christine McGourty, executive director of the water industry body UK Water, said: “Overall, the industry needs to do better … the total number of serious pollution incidents was too high, contrary to the recent trend of year-on-year improvements. Tackling it is our top priority and every company has a comprehensive plan to make it possible. “