Campaigners hit out over sewage spill payment plan

Claire Kirby said customers should not foot the bill while shareholders made a profit

A campaign group has reacted angrily to plans to increase water bills to fund upgrades to the sewage network.

Earlier, water suppliers in England apologised for sewage spills and said they were ready to spend £10bn on tackling the issue, but customers could foot the bill.

Claire Kirby, from Up Sewage Creek in Shrewsbury, said it was not fair to increase bills while the companies made huge profits.

However, local Conservative MP, Philip Dunne, said the money had to come from somewhere.

Water companies have been facing increasing criticism about sewage spills. In 2022, sewage was dumped into waterways 825 times a day on average.

At the same time, the industry paid out £1.4bn to shareholders over the course of the year.

"The water companies have made profit upon profit and right now the River Severn throughout our beautiful town is actually dying," said Ms Kirby.

She said the group regularly tested water quality and a volunteer recently found dead fish and "a scum on the water that was so sticky that mayflies, as they were hatching, were sticking to the water so they couldn’t fly off".

Ms Kirby is not alone in her opinions, with environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey calling the spending announcement by Water UK a "half apology" that was another attempt to extract money from customers.

Campaign groups including Surfers Against Sewage and Windrush Against Sewage Pollution have also suggested the measure does not go far enough.

Shropshire had one of the highest rates of water pollution incidents in the decade to 2021

Sewage spills are permitted following heavy rainfall to prevent the system becoming overwhelmed, but to cut back on the action, water companies would need to increase the capacity of the system, much of which was created during the Victorian era.

Figures from the Environment Agency showed Shropshire had 59 of the most serious water pollution incidents between 2010 and 2021, second only to Cornwall.

Ms Kirby acknowledged it was "a complex issue" and said Up Sewage Creek was campaigning for the industry to be brought under public ownership.

"This is a big issue for the next election," she said. "You shouldn’t be making profit out of our water and sewage supply, the water belongs to all of us."

Mr Dunne, who represents Ludlow, said the apology was long overdue and welcomed the spending plan - and the financial model.

"We all acknowledge this has been a problem that’s been growing for 60 years and needs to get fixed," he said, "and I think this will go a long way to starting that process.

"This huge investment has got to be paid for," he added. "We've got to recognise this has got to come from somewhere."