Water firms may be sued over sewage

BRITAIN’S troubled water sector is facing the threat of litigation over raw sewage being dumped illegally into rivers, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Lawyers at top firm Mishcon de Reya are plotting possible claims against water firms, which are under mounting pressure due to their performance on pollution. Critics argue regulators have not done enough to tackle their failures, and lawyers are looking at the potential for High Court cases.

Alexander Rhodes, who heads Mishcon’s Purpose division, said litigation is a way to hold water wrongdoers to account.

He said claims could help individuals and businesses who have lost out financially due to pollution. ‘We have to decide as a country what we want,’ Rhodes said. ‘If we want safe and healthy rivers, we are going to have to press for it.’

The Environment Agency recently called for bosses responsible for the most serious pollution to face prison. But Rhodes said governing bodies must be accountable alongside water firms.