'Complex' water issues can't be avoided, vows Cambridgeshire MP
She's continuing to campaign to tackle water pollution in the county
South Cambridgeshire's MP has vowed to keep fighting to tackle water pollution in the county.
Under new Government plans, water companies could be fined up to £500,000 for environmental offences.
Ministers also want to see the Environment Agency (EA) use a lower standard of proof for less serious offences rather than the same legal standard used in criminal courts, in order to make it easier and quicker to hold water companies to account.
"We should be going much further, particularly around chalk streams," Liberal Democrat MP Pippa Heylings said.
"That's what we've got in South Cambridgeshire, all these beautiful chalk streams that provide our drinking water and that environment for wildlife and everybody to enjoy."
'Decisive action'
Currently, the EA struggles to impose penalties on water firms because of the level of proof needed to prove an offence.
Other measures that the Government is consulting on include:
- introducing new automatic penalties – like a speeding ticket – for specific and obvious breaches without the need for lengthy investigations;
- setting a value of either £10,000, £15,000 or £20,000 for the new automatic penalty.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said the measures set out shows "this Government is taking decisive action.
“I want to give the Environment Agency the teeth it needs to tackle all rule breaking.
"With new, automatic and tougher penalties for water companies, there will be swift consequences for offences, including not treating sewage to the required standard and maintenance failures."
'We can't duck complex issues'
Earlier this year, Ms Reynolds' predecessor, Steve Reed, announced the water regulator Ofwat would be replaced with one new body for England and another for Wales.
At the time, Mr Reed said the move would curb pollution incidents and "prevent the abuses of the past for customers".
In July, Anglian Water was told by Ofwat to pay a £62.8 million enforcement package for failures managing its wastewater treatment works and network.
"We will keep pushing that there has to be that special protection, and then that means companies such as Anglian Water have to take special measures and incorporate them into their budgets," Ms Heylings said.
"We've got to deal with it, we can't duck complex issues; it's going to be challenging, but we have to do it."