Wastewater discharges in Teresa Coffey's constituency rose last year despite nationwide decline

Teresa Coffey is leading a government crackdown on water companies that dump sewage into rivers and coastal areas. Photo: Jacob King/PA

The Lib The Democrats made water pollution a key issue in their local election campaign in May, and Tim Farron, the party's environmental spokesman, said: «These embarrassing numbers show that sewage is routinely dumped right under the noses of the environment secretary.»< /p>

«How can Teresa Coffey be trusted to solve a sewer scandal when her own backyard is getting worse? This shows that she should retire or be fired.

“The public in Suffolk and across the country are rightfully outraged that this government is allowing water companies to pump their dirty sewage into our cherished rivers and beaches. People are getting sick from swimming in rivers teeming with sewage, but Conservative ministers don't seem to care.»

A Tory source hit back, saying the Liberal Democrats didn't realize the problem when the party was in coalition government .

“The Liberal Democrats benefit from criticizing the monitoring when the Liberal Democrat Minister of Water Resources did nothing under the coalition,” the source said. “It was the conservative minister who was the first to require water companies to control wastewater overflows on a scale.

“Classic Liberal Democrats – they didn’t do this shit when they were in government and now they are full of it. By the end of the year, monitoring will be brought to 100%, and we will hold water utilities accountable for bringing them into working condition.”

Under a new water plan unveiled by Ms. Coffey last week, the government has promised unlimited fines for polluting companies to fund river restoration projects. Investment in infrastructure will also be accelerated, including schemes to reduce the frequency of spills.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: «This government is the first to take such comprehensive action.» on flash flooding, and our new Water Plan calls for increased investment, stronger enforcement and tighter regulation to address this issue.

“This includes Anglian Water’s accelerated investment: £27 million invested in the fight against hurricanes. flooding in the east of England now.

“The Environment Minister has required every company in England to plan for each flash flood, prioritizing those near bathing waters. We are also consulting to give regulators more power to impose much more severe fines on polluters without the need to go to court.”