Raw deal: MPS voted to allow sewage to be dumped in Humber
TWO East Yorkshire Conservative MPS have voted to allow the dumping of raw sewage into rivers and seas.
Graham Stuart and Greg Knight, of Beverley and Holderness and East Yorkshire respectively, voted to block an amendment to draft environment laws forcing water companies to dispose of sewage elsewhere.
The two Conservatives joined the 265 MPS from their party in blocking the amendment to the Environment Bill, which was debated in Parliament last week.
Conservative David Davis, MP for Haltemprice and Howden joined the 22 MPS who broke from their party in support of the change, backed by 204 in total.
Labour’s Emma Hardy and Diana Johnson, of Hull West and Hessle and Hull North respectively, also voted to back the amendment from House of Lords member the Duke of Wellington.
No votes were recorded for Karl Turner, Labour’s MP for Hull East, or for Brigg and Goole Conservative MP Andrew Percy.
It comes as the Department for Environment (DEFRA) said it was confident measures in the Environment Bill were strong enough to prevent sewage dumping from “storm overflows”.
The government department added company penalties had already been handed out over the practice including to Southern Water and Thames Water, which were both fined millions.
But the blocking of the amendment has sparked a backlash after Environment Agency figures showed sewage got into English waterways more than 300,000 times last year.
The Lords amendment sought to make companies separate foul from surface water before it reaches rivers and seas by the storm overflow mechanism.
Storm overflows act as safety valves, which allow foul sewage water to go into waterways in “exceptional circumstances” to stop drainage systems becoming overwhelmed.
Labour Shadow Environment Secretary Luke Pollard tweeted: “This week Labour will be pushing for action to stop water companies routinely discharging raw sewage in rivers. By voting against this measure the Conservatives have shown themselves to be in the wrong place environmentally and out of touch with public opinion.”
Mr Stuart said he voted to remove a section of the Duke’s amendment because he claimed it would have cost households between £5,000 and £20,000 had it passed.
He added he voted for the Government to draft a plan on reducing storm overflows by the end of the year and for studies into the costs of stopping them entirely.
The MP said: “I’d like to assure my constituents that I’m very strongly opposed to untreated sewage being discharged into our rivers and off our coast, where my constituents rightly expect to find clean water.
“Without a plan or an impact assessment, this could’ve passed on unfathomable costs to consumers or the taxpayer, and it wouldn’t have been responsible to vote in favour of this.
“The problem stems from the UK’S Victorian era pipes system and it’s so complex that no previous Government has attempted to tackle it. But we have to face facts that our 19th-century system is no longer fit for purpose.”
DEFRA stated the amendment was well-intentioned, but proposals in the new bill covered much of the issue.
But it added such practices could not be eliminated because of the country’s ageing sewage network, which would cost more than £150bn to update.
A DEFRA spokesperson said: “The Storm Overflows Taskforce set up last year has already taken steps to improve monitoring and transparency, as well as uniting the industry on a long-term goal to eliminate harm from storm overflows. The Government recognises the importance of protecting the nation’s natural environment and we are investing accordingly.”