One of the things that we have valued more during this pandemic is the ability to have access to the natural world and outdoor spaces. With all the restrictions in place and three lockdowns, which have required us to stay at home, the ability to get out and exercise, and form a connection with the natural world has been important. Our beaches, in particular, have been a source of comfort to so many of us.
However, Cornwall, like many parts of the country, has long suffered from the excessive use of storm overflows leading to raw sewage being released into our rivers and oceans and, as flash rainfall events have become more frequent, our Victorian sewerage infrastructure has struggled to cope. Local organisations such as Surfers against Sewage have done a great deal to raise awareness about this issue.
When I became Environment Secretary in February 2020, I made it a priority to clean up our rivers and seas. One of the first things I did was to set out our expectation that water companies must take steps to significantly reduce storm overflows as a matter of urgency.
Through the Environment Act, we have put in place a package of measures to reduce the harms from storm overflows. This includes new duties on water companies and government and increased monitoring and transparency through the Storm Overflows Taskforce. Monitoring of the network has increased 14-fold in the last five years and the Environment Agency will monitor 100% of storm overflows by next year. We will be publishing a statutory plan by September to tackle storm overflows. We are also bringing the strongest enforcement action against water and sewerage companies that damage our environment, including a record £90 million fine against Southern Water.
This week, we are publishing that new statement and set out our priorities for the water regulator, Ofwat, to make sure that the water industry is delivering for the environment and for consumers. Ofwat, as the economic regulator, is responsible for setting out what water companies should focus their investment on during each spending cycle. The Government is responsible for setting the policy priorities for Ofwat, and we have never been clearer. Ofwat and water companies can and must prioritise action to improve the water environment and deliver a resilient and sustainable water supply.
This builds on other actions that we have taken to improve water quality and the health of our natural environment. We will continue moving forward, improving policies, and working with industry and regulators to clean up our rivers and seas. We will shortly be publishing a public consultation on targets for the priority areas in our Environment Act, including water, and this will be yet another mechanism to drive forward improvements for the water environment.
Once this pandemic is
over, we will have an opportunity through our new policies to do more both to
increase and improve the number of people who access our beautiful countryside
and to do more for nature’s recovery within these designated areas. With the
measures we are putting in place, we will leave the environment in a better
state for future generations - and turn the tide on the decline that we have
seen in recent decades.
