(Alliance News) - The UK government is bringing in measures to strengthen regulation of the water industry as it attempts to answer public anger over sewage polluting rivers, lakes and seas.
The Water (Special Measures) bill announced in the King's Speech includes regulations to make water company bosses face personal criminal liability for breaking laws on water quality, and new powers for regulator Ofwat to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met.
It also establishes a new code of conduct for water companies, allowing customers to summon board members and hold executives to account, and will introduce new powers to bring "automatic and severe" fines for transgressions.
And it requires water companies to install real-time monitors at every sewage outlet with data independently scrutinised by the water regulators – although the government announced last year that all of England's storm overflows are electronically monitored.
The measures, which cover England and Wales, come in response to growing public anger over the degraded state of rivers, lakes and coastal waters, rising bills, and the dividends and bonuses paid out by water companies.
Sewage spills from water infrastructure have contributed to a situation in which no single river in England is considered to be in good overall health, and beauty spots including Windermere in the Lake District have been polluted.
Water utilities have also been hit by multimillion-pound fines for repeated and damaging illegal pollution in the last five years, and there is concern about the levels of leaks from water infrastructure – especially in times of drought when hosepipe bans are imposed.
Meanwhile, some of the privatised water companies are creaking under high levels of debt or face criticism over dividends to shareholders and executive bonuses.
And worse is to come as climate change and worsening weather extremes, from downpours to drought, pile more pressure on supplies.
The issue became a focal point of the general election campaign, while the new government faces a looming financial crisis over Thames Water.
Labour, which has already secured agreement from water firms for a series of measures, said its Water (Special Measures) bill is an "immediate step" but warned that change will take time.
It is also promising further legislation to "fundamentally transform our water industry", and restore rivers, lakes and seas.
By Emily Beament, PA Environment Correspondent
Press Association: Finance
source: PA
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