Between 2013 and 2018 the Environment Agency shed 20% of its staff particularly during Liz Truss’ efficiency drive in 2015, (2,500 staff and £80m). 

Now the government announces greater resources and manpower for the EA (by 2026) of 500 staff and £55m per year.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay says:

We are clear that we need to get much tougher with unannounced inspections to bring an end to the routine lawbreaking we have seen from water companies, which is what this announcement will deliver.

 Panicking? – Owl

Inspection surge to crack down on water sector pollution

www.gov.uk

• Fourfold increase in water company inspections to hold companies to account.   
• Includes up to 500 additional staff for inspections, enforcement and stronger regulation over the next three years, with recruitment already underway.
• Part of a tougher regime fully funded by government and water company permits.

Water company inspections will more than quadruple as the Government cracks down on poor performing companies, under plans announced today (20 February). In recent months, robust steps have been made under the Plan for Water with all 15,000 storm overflows now monitored and the cap on civil penalties for pollution removed. Last week, Defra went further in announcing that water bosses are set to be banned from receiving bonuses if a company has committed serious criminal breaches.

The Environment Agency (EA) is already ramping up inspections on water company assets, with over 930 completed this financial year. Today’s announcement goes further as water company inspections carried out by the EA will rise to 4000 a year by the end of March 2025, and then to 10,000 from April 2026. This will include an increase in unannounced inspections – strengthening oversight of water companies and reducing the reliance on water company self-monitoring, which was established in 2009. 

Increased inspections and enforcement will be backed by around £55 million each year. This will be fully funded through increased grant-in-aid from Defra to the Environment Agency and additional funding from water quality permit charges levied on water companies, subject to a public consultation closing in March 2024.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:  

We are clear that we need to get much tougher with unannounced inspections to bring an end to the routine lawbreaking we have seen from water companies, which is what this announcement will deliver.

We are going further to quadruple the Environment Agency’s regulatory capacity – allowing them to carry out 4,000 water company inspections by the end of the next financial year.

Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell said:   

Last year we set out measures to transform the way we regulate the water industry to uncover non-compliance and drive better performance. Today’s announcement builds on that. Campaign groups and the public want to see the Environment Agency better resourced to do what it does best, regulate for a better environment. 

Proposals to get extra boots on the ground to increase inspection visits will help further strengthen our regulation of the industry.”  

With 100% of storm overflows now monitored, data-driven analytics will also help the Environment Agency map discharges against rainfall more effectively so they can quickly direct new specialist officers to any sites at risk, identify any non-compliance and take action. 

The EA is already conducting the largest ever criminal investigation into potential widespread non-compliance by water and sewerage companies at thousands of sewage treatment works. Since 2015, the EA has concluded 59 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies securing fines of over £150 million.

Today’s announcement builds on the recent improvements the government has delivered to the water environment, including:

• 100% of storm overflows in England are now monitored – providing a complete picture of when and where sewage spills happen.  
• Removing the cap on civil penalties for water companies and broadening their scope so swifter action can be taken against those who pollute our waterways.  
• Increased protections for coastal and estuarine waters by expanding the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan, prioritising bathing waters, sites of special scientific interest and shellfish waters.    
• Requiring the largest infrastructure programme in water company history – £60 billion over 25 years – to revamp aging assets and reduce the number of sewage spills by hundreds of thousands every year.   
• Providing £10 million in support for farmers to store more water on their land through the Water Management Grants to support food production and improve water security.   
• Speeding up the process of building key water supply infrastructure, including more reservoirs and water transfer schemes.

Paul Arnott posted a video on Facebook and this statement: 

Today, I’ve been speaking to Exmouth residents protesting against South West Water, who held a behind-closed-doors Q&A at Exmouth Town Hall this afternoon – with no less than five private security guards. SWW’s failure to properly invest in our infrastructure, and their haphazard and disruptive approach to managing the effective collapse of the sewage network in Exmouth, has been as shocking to me as to any other resident – and I’m determined to see them held to account.

I’d strongly encourage anyone able to come along to Wednesday evening’s Full Council at East Devon’s offices in Honiton, starting at 6pm, to do so – we’ll be considering a strongly-worded motion calling out South West Water’s appalling track record, and trying to get us on the road to fixing things. You can also follow along via the Council’s YouTube channel.

Image from ESCAPE Facebook

Exmouth Journal Staff www.exmouthjournal.co.uk

Hundreds of residents turned up outside Exmouth Town Hall this afternoon to protest about sewage pollution.

Organiser Jo Bee rallied the troops, which included swimmers, environmental groups, Exmouth Quakers and councillors.

Lots of people drove past the protest and tooted their horns in support of the group’s cause.

The protest started at 1.30pm. Around 200 protesters turned up and Exmouth Quakers turned up and started singing sea shanties.

Councillors came out to see what the commotion was; Geoff Jung and Paul Miller were seen outside as well as Paul Arnott, who was supporting the protests.

The aim of today’s protest ‘to make it very clear to SWW that we simply don’t accept the damage they are doing to us, to our environment, and to our tourism. Enough is enough’.

A Facebook group called ESCAPE (End Sewage Convoys And Poollution Exmouth) is open for members of the public to join and find out the latest on sewage pollution in Exmouth and Budleigh.

Paul Arnott told the Journal: “I fully support these protests. I have been told that EDDC have laid on seven security guards inside the town hall as they heard news of the protests.”

Jo Bee added: “We are here today to show to South West Water that enough is enough. This is just the start, with my court case as well standing up to South West Water.”

SWW are hosting a series of coastal community roadshows across the region to share the latest business plan with customers. Today they were in Exmouth and residents decided to gate crash the meeting with a protest outside.

They are explaining to residents how the water and wastewater systems work and explaining more about the plans we have for Exmouth and the surrounding areas.

The meeting is being held from 2pm to 6pm and is fully booked, with a limited supply of tickets.

A motion is being carried through East Devon District Council on Wednesday (February 21) declaring ‘no confidence’ in the company’s sewage management systems.

The motion states that there is ‘widespread concern’ among East Devon residents, and notes ‘with alarm’ that specific measures to improve the capacity of the sewage system, identified in 2010, ‘have not been actioned’

In response to this, South West Water said: “The opinions of our customers matter to us greatly. We are listening and know we have more to do. The purpose of events like our Community Roadshow in Exmouth tomorrow is to hear directly from customers and have the opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have.

“We are investing to help deliver improvements in our environmental performance, and will continue to do all we can to protect our region’s seas and rivers.”

What was lurking just a few metres away from the hospitality tent on Friday when Simon Jupp, Rebecca Pow, Minister for Nature, and assembled dignitaries were toasting the new “King’s nature Reserve”?

Are they going to continue to “look the other way”?

Read the full story in Simon Jupp’s facebook post and subsequent comments. – Owl

Simon Jupp on facebook wrote:

How lucky are we to live here? East Devon is a beautiful part of the world, and we should do all we can to protect our natural environment.

It was great to welcome the Minister for Nature, Rebecca Pow MP, to Budleigh Salterton last Friday for a fantastic celebration of Pebblebed Heaths National Nature Reserve being extended into wetlands created by the Lower Ottery Restoration Project (LORP).

The multi-million-pound investment into our local environment through the LORP is already paying dividends, with greater protections for biodiversity and a more resilient ecosystem.

To top it off, the expanded nature reserve is part of the “King’s Series” celebrating the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. He has good taste!

Thank you to Natural England and Clinton Devon Estates for a great celebration, and for their important work in helping to take care of East Devon’s precious environment.

This post received these comments:

Karen Powers

Truly a fantastic achievement. Please Don’t let SWW ruin this nature reserve with their secret raw sewage dumping via the unreported Emergency Overflow (EO) back door. Graphic photos and videos have been released to EA but SWW are already trying to clean away the evidence. Escape have been reporting the Lime Kiln EDM as potentially faulty since November 2023. There is never a spill more than 1-2 minutes. SWW deny any faults and say it’s working as expected. I predict that now the back door (EO) will hopefully be closed the spills will start to be reported via the Lime Kiln EDM? Perhaps SWW wanted to hold back any publicity about poollution at this site before the opening?

Geoff Crawford

Hi Simon, pity SWW were reported to EA this morning for potentially illegally dumping sewage and all sorts of stuff there via an un reporting EO. Exactly why ESCAPE – End Sewage Convoys And Poollution Exmouth are asking you to lobby government to make SWW report on ALL overflows. It’s great that You and Rebecca POW want to protect this environment and nature reserve. Let’s see that action, report on ALL overflows, EOs and CSOs and prove your words by actions. Don’t let it look like you looked the other way.

Fran Swan

Geoff Crawford

Absolutely!

And please Simon Jupp MP, open transparency and let this comment remain!