The petition of the residents of Weedon Lois, Weston, Maidford, Whittlebury, Cogenhoe, Adstone, Eydon and Towcester,
Declares that Anglian Water should adequately address the very many ongoing concerns and poor service across South Northamptonshire including with pressure fluctuations and burst water mains in Maidford; persistent sewage odours and broken sewage mains in Whittlebury; frequent occurrences of low pressure and no water in Weston, Weedon Lois, Adstone and Towcester; sewage released into the River Nene at Cogenhoe; closure of the St Loya CEVA Primary Academy due to no water, notes that residents in the village of Eydon have experienced a series of burst water mains that have cut off the water supply to the village for a protracted period; further notes that replacement to the pipework have been delayed, causing additional, prolonged disruption to supply and residents remain concerned about the impact this will have on their daily lives, further declares that Anglian Water should address the difficulties that residents have experienced in contacting them to resolve this issue and receive adequate compensation for the disruption and discomfort they have faced.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to take into account the concerns of the petitioners and take immediate action to ensure that water companies provide a satisfactory service for their customers.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Dame Andrea Leadsom, Official Report, 28 March 2023; Vol. 730, c. 991.]
[P002817]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Rebecca Pow):
I would like to thank the petitioners for raising this very important issue faced by residents in South Northamptonshire with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
DEFRA officials have written to Anglian Water and have received assurances that it is working to address interruptions to supply in Weedon Lois, Adstone, Towcester and Weston caused by problems with the booster pumps at Maidford and Lillingstone Lovell. These problems have been compounded by Maidford reservoir being out of service for maintenance since 30 June 2022. Work is also ongoing to bring the reservoir back into service, which will also help to reduce the risk of supply interruptions.
Anglian Water is also due to start a mains replacement scheme in Eydon in August of this year. It assures us that this, combined with the other works in the area, should address the water supply issues that residents have been experiencing.
Teams from Anglian Water undertook investigations in response to reports of suspected river pollution last year at the River Nene at Cogenhoe. Results from samples taken at the Water Recycling Centre and further downstream found Anglian Water was in compliance and had not breached permitted levels.
Finally, Anglian Water has assured us that it has undertaken engineering investigations into the sewerage system at Whittlebury, including works with individual residents to alleviate odours. It will continue to be in dialogue with stakeholders about ongoing issues in the area.
Good asset management is vital for resilience against flooding, to secure water resources, to provide a good quality service and to prevent environmental harm. Water companies have statutory duties to provide and maintain the infrastructure that supports their water supply systems and sewerage systems. In March, the Government published our Plan for Water, a blueprint for a truly national effort to meet the stretching targets we have set through our Environment Act. The plan will make sure water companies speed up their infrastructure upgrades, bringing forward £1.6 billion of new investment to commence this vital work over the next two years.
This is in addition to a £51 billion five-year investment package in its 2019 Price Review set out by Ofwat for the 2020 to 2025 period. This includes requirements for water companies to cut leaks by 16%, reduce mains bursts by 12% and reduce supply interruptions by 41% between 2020 and 2025. Companies must publish their performance annually against key targets.
In November 2022, Ofwat announced financial penalties of £132 million for 11 water companies, following underperformance in areas such as water supply interruptions, pollution incidents and internal sewer flooding. This money will rightly be returned to customers through water bills in 2023-24 and we will continue to work closely with Ofwat to hold water companies to account for the delivery of secure and resilient water services.
Storm overflows are strictly permitted by the Environment Agency (EA). If overflows operate outside of permit conditions, the agency will consider all options for robust enforcement action. This can include criminal prosecution by the EA for which there can be unlimited fines. Since 2015, the EA has concluded 58 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies, securing fines of over £147 million.