Water companies ‘threaten wildlife’ by polluting rivers

WATER companies in England are risking aquatic wildlife by polluting the country’s waterways, charities have warned, as new data show incidents have increased over the last year.

The Environment Agency said water companies’ performance was “unacceptable” as its figures showed there were 2,204 water pollution incidents in 2019, up from 1,863 in 2018, and the highest increase since 2014. Southern Water, which provides for 4.6 million customers in Sussex, Kent and Hampshire, more than doubled its pollution incidents, accounting for 458 of the total. Four of the nine water companies are rated as poor or requiring improvement, the worst result since 2011.

“It’s a pretty poor indictment of the way we regulate our rivers that we continue to suffer regular pollution incidents and so few [companies] make the grade,” said Richard Benwell, the CEO of the Wildlife and Countryside Link.

He said sewage pollution could choke aquatic life, while enzymes from detergent leave fish vulnerable by stripping away their natural defences.

George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, and Emma Howard-boyd, the Environment Agency chief, will meet the worst offending companies in a bid to compel them to act. The agency is under pressure to clamp down after recent figures showed all English rivers failed to meet quality tests for pollution.

Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Ms Howard-boyd said: “The Environment Agency will take tough action and work in partnership with water companies to deliver more for the environment, so we can report better results next year.”

Christine Mcgourty, the chief executive of industry body Water UK, said water companies had taken “significant steps” in the last decade but “there is work to be done”.