Norfolk MP aims for 'elimination' of sewage discharges - after promise of fresh infrastructure investment
Anglian Water is putting over £3.5 million towards improving its water treatment networks in Hickling and Hoveton
One of Norfolk's MP is telling us he's aiming for an 'elimination' of sewage discharges into the sea - with local water infrastructure upgrades likely to be completed over the next few years.
Anglian Water is investing £11 billion into the East between now and 2030, with over £3.5 million going towards improving its waster treatment networks in Hickling and Hoveton.
More details on the company's plans can be found here and here.
"North Norfolk doesn't really have a sewage treatment network"
Steff Aquarone represents North Norfolk- where these two villages are: "I obviously welcome the investment, but we have to go to make sure this money is spent in the right place.
"That's my job, to continue to lobby them to do that, or it won't make a blind bit of difference to the issue at hand.
"I think we all need to be conscious of how we use and process water. So, with drier summers it makes a lot more sense for us to put up water butts, if you have a garden to look after.
"All of this helps in the winter as well, when there are heavy downpours onto roofs whose systems are connected into the sewage system."
He told us why this money is needed: "North Norfolk doesn't really have a sewage treatment network.
"We've got lots of individual processing sites near big towns and villages, the problem is that when they were built in the 1970s, they didn't really have the capacity to deal with the sort of storms that we see these days, due to man-made climate change."
What the Government's doing to improve our waterways:
The Water (Special Measures) Bill has passed it's 1st and 2nd reading and is currently in the 'Report Stage', before it faces a 3rd reading the House of Commons.
This Bill means:
-Increases in the Environment Agency’s ability to bring forward criminal charges against law-breaking water executives, including imprisonment of up to two years for water executives who obstruct investigations.
-Bans on the payment of bonuses to executives of polluting water companies unless they meet high standards.
-Severe and automatic fines for polluting, so regulators can issue penalties quickly, without having to conduct lengthy investigations.
-Independent monitoring of every outlet, with water companies required to report all pollution spills within an hour of them starting.
Steve Reed is Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
"This Bill is a significant step forward in fixing our broken water system.
It is an immediate down payment on the wider reform that’s needed after years of failure and environmental damage.
It holds polluting water companies to account after years where there has been no accountability."