The Labour Government in the United Kingdom has announced a major plan to reduce the amount of raw sewage discharged into the UK’s rivers, lakes, and coastal waters by 50% before the end of the decade.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed unveiled the commitment as part of Labour’s broader agenda to restore the health of the country’s waterways, promising to make them the cleanest since records began.
The move marks a significant policy shift and a victory for The Telegraph’s long-running Clean Rivers Campaign, which has highlighted the unchecked pollution by water companies across the UK.
The deteriorating condition of Britain’s waterways played a key role in the Conservatives’ defeat in several rural constituencies during the last general election. In Chichester, a Tory stronghold for over 100 years of the Liberal Democrats won on a platform that capitalised on local fury over sewage discharges into the River Lavant.
Now in power, Labour has placed river pollution at the heart of its environmental agenda, vowing to hold water company executives accountable for illegal and excessive discharges.
Mr Reed announced a requirement to cut the number of storm overflow spills by at least half each year by 2030. These overflows of which there are approximately 14,500 in England release untreated sewage during periods of heavy rainfall. Last year alone, the UK recorded a staggering 3.6 million hours of sewage spills, severely harming ecosystems and contaminating swimming areas.
In addition to reducing overflows, the Environment Secretary pledged to cut phosphorus pollution by 50%. This chemical, present in treated wastewater, can lead to the growth of harmful algae, depleting oxygen in rivers and threatening aquatic life.
Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Reed said public trust in water companies has collapsed and promised decisive action. “I’m making a clear commitment to the British people this Government will halve sewage pollution within five years,” he wrote. “This is the first time any UK Government has made a clear pledge to cut sewage pollution which you can hold us to account for.”
The pledge comes on the heels of a new Environment Agency report, which attributes the recent surge in river pollution to systemic failings by water companies. The number of serious pollution incidents rose by 60% last year, with just three companies responsible for 80% of those cases.
Thames Water was named the worst offender, logging 33 major incidents, followed by Southern Water with 15 and Yorkshire Water with 13. The report also condemned all nine water companies operating in England for consistently poor performance.
Despite these failings, many of these companies have imposed hosepipe bans and awarded six-figure salaries to senior executives, drawing widespread criticism.
Overall, the number of sewage discharges increased by 29%, rising from 2,174 in 2023 to 2,801 last year.
In response, Labour has secured £104 billion in investment from water companies to repair and upgrade aging infrastructure. New legislation will ensure that money raised through customer bills is ring-fenced exclusively for system improvements.
Executives at underperforming firms now face tougher sanctions, including bonus bans, and the government has committed £100 million from fines to fund environmental clean-up projects.
“This is not just about cleaning up our rivers it’s about restoring public trust, protecting nature, and making Britain’s water systems something to be proud of,” Mr Reed said.
