The Sewage Campaign Network is urging everyone to write to their MP to call for a stop to the water bills being increased.
In its fact sheet it states: ' All our rivers are polluted, and all our chalk streams are in poor health. Untreated sewage was dumped in our waterways 464,056 times for over 3.5 million hours in 2023, which is 1,271 discharges a day – that’s the equivalent of sewage flowing nonstop for 450 years.
'Water Bill Rises: Ofwat has decided that our water bills are to go up by an average of £123 this year from April (the range is £79 to £224 depending on where you live), to bail out the failing water companies that pollute our rivers, lakes and seas for profit. But that’s not the end of it, prices will continue to rise for the rest of this decade by 36%, sending good money after bad, and we have no choice. Six water companies are challenging the bill rises - they want more!
'Criminal Investigations and Poor Performance: Ofwat along with the Environment Agency, is investigating every water company in England for illegal pollution after Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) did the regulator’s job, uncovering 9,000 illegal sewage discharges using water industry data Every water company is underperforming and harming our environment, yet we are still asked to pay more. Ofwat, whilst putting up bills has also proposed fines of £168m for Thames Water, Yorkshire Water and Northumberland Water for failing to manage wastewater treatment works and networks and harming the environment.'
There is much more before the conclusion: ' Water companies have polluted our rivers lakes and seas, destroying the environment, threatening people’s health and attacking local businesses that depend on our waters. They have racked up astonishing debt, raked in billions in debt payments, depleted our assets and left our sewage system in decline. They are operating outside the law, failing to deliver on their obligations, perform worse than most water systems in the world, and yet we are being expected to pay more with no end in sight. The ‘vision’ presented here is the dying gasp of a totally broken water system, that services international financiers over customers. This must stop. Make your voice heard. Join the 2,500 people who have already written to their MP demanding that the government stops bill rises now https://campaigns.sewagecampaignnetwork.org.uk/.'