Campaigners give mixed response to water overhaul

Campaigners say real improvements to river health will depend on sustained investment and government-backed enforcement

Environmental campaigners and industry stakeholders have given mixed responses to the government's announcement that water regulator Ofwat will be scrapped and replaced.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said the overhaul, which follows an independent review, would "prevent the abuses of the past" and bring together fragmented oversight into a more accountable system.

Hannah Pearson from water cleanliness advocates Friends of the Dart cautiously welcomed the move, calling the proposed ombudsman "a powerful tool for change."

Campaign group, Cornwall-based Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), condemned the report as insufficient and cosmetic, claiming it was "putting lipstick on a pig".

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The Water Commission review, led by former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe, was set up in response to growing public concern about sewage spills and rising bills.

Ms Pearson said: "We often hear people complaining that South West Water are effectively marking their own homework at the moment."

She believes sustained investment and government-backed enforcement and needed for significant improvements to river health.

"What we need to see is not just identifying the problems, but consistent action towards resolving them," she said.

"We need the right thing to be done, and we need it to be done methodically and with a long-term view."

The review was set up in response to growing public concern about sewage spills and rising bills

'Taken for fools'

Giles Bristow, chief executive of SAS, said the review "utterly fails to prioritise public benefit over private profit".

"Only one path forward remains: a full, systemic transformation that ends the ruthless pursuit of profit and puts the public good at the heart of our water services," he said.

While the group welcomed the call for a national strategy, Mr Bristow dismissed the regulator overhaul as superficial.

He said: "We won't be taken for fools. Abolishing Ofwat and replacing it with a shinier regulator won't stop sewage dumping or profiteering if the finance and ownership structures stay the same."

About a third of England's designated bathing waters are in the South West

South West Water said it welcomed the report "and its focus on shaping a stronger water sector for the future".

"The proposals outlined today reflect the importance of long-term strategic planning, local accountability, and better environmental and public health outcomes," it said.

"We are particularly supportive of efforts to update regulation, strengthen asset health, and introduce clearer national direction through a long-term water strategy."

Analysis from BBC South West environment correspondent Kirk England

"From sea swimmers to clean water campaigners, many will be hoping that Sir Jon Cunliffe's review will lead to change, particularly on tackling sewage spills.

"About a third of England's designated bathing waters are here in the South West.

"In 2024, although the overall number of spills by South West Water dropped slightly, to 56,000, the duration of those spills rose to 544,000 hours, up from 531,000 in 2023.

"South West Water has welcomed the publication of the Independent Water Commission's final report and has already said it is investing to tackle sewage discharges.

"But there are fears the proposed measures don't go far enough and will not lead to what so many people have told me they want to see - a significant and sustained reduction in sewage discharges into rivers and the sea."