Herts MP welcomes water regulation overhaul but warns 'devil will be in the detail'
The MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, Victoria Collins, had been pushing the government for better protection from river sewage dumping
A Hertfordshire MP has welcomed the government’s overhaul of regulation of the water industry but urged ministers to move quickly and deliver tangible improvements for polluted chalk streams.
The new measures, announced by Environment Secretary Steve Reed, will see the creation of a single, powerful regulator to replace Ofwat and consolidate water regulation currently split between four agencies.
The change follows an independent review by Sir Jon Cunliffe, who made 88 recommendations to address long-standing issues including sewage pollution, high water bills, and underinvestment in infrastructure.
Victoria Collins, the MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, said: "We’re very happy that we feel it’s been a LibDem victory of something we’ve been pushing for.
"Now the devil will be in the detail - for example, locally here in Hertfordshire, I have the privilege of covering four major chalk streams and there’s one which had almost 5,000 hours of sewage pollution last year."
Mr Reed said the new regulator would “stand firmly on the side of customers, investors and the environment,” and pledged to halve sewage pollution by 2030 based on new data.
He insisted that reforms would avoid a repeat of the 30% water bill hikes seen last year.
But Ms Collins stressed that change needs to begin immediately.
"The Environment Agency have said that in one year, sewage pollution has risen by 60%. So clearly this is going to be a challenge, but one that we needed to start tackling today," she said.
Ms Collins, who wrote to Thames Water on her first day in Parliament, said the public has every right to feel disillusioned.
"Whether it’s those rising bills or realising that the pollution is in their local waterways, people are disappointed, and rightly so," she said. "It shows that with persistence, we can make a difference. And now, finally, the Labour government are getting on board and saying that they’re going to do this."
Sir Jon Cunliffe, whose review triggered the government’s plans, has warned that water bills are still likely to rise in future. He called for a national social tariff to protect low-income households and acknowledged that investor returns will remain a factor in costs.
Asked whether she believed the proposals were realistic, Ms Collins said: "I very much hope so. Hopefully what the government have put forward is taking tougher action on companies that are not delivering, and that can be done very easily."
The MP also pledged to hold ministers to account over Ofwat’s replacement, a key focus of Liberal Democrat pressure.
Looking ahead, Collins plans to use parliamentary time to raise urgent local concerns and tackling water pollution on key local rivers at risk of losing biodiversity and habitats.
She also linked the water reforms to broader concerns about the government’s environmental policies, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which she warned could severely impact the environment.