Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to stop Severn Trent Water from discharging sewage in Sherwood Forest constituency.

The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 makes it a statutory requirement for all water companies to produce annual Pollution Incident Reduction Plans showing how they will meet our expectation of reducing pollution incidents by 40%.

Between 2025 and 2030, a historic amount, over £10 billion, is being invested in improving nearly 2,500 storm overflows in England, targeted at those affecting the most sensitive sites for ecological and human health.

To reduce spills from storm overflows in Sherwood Forest, Severn Trent is investing in its Storm Overflow Action Plan, which focuses on reducing rainwater entering sewers, increasing storage capacity and improving wastewater treatment.

All of the approximately 15,000 storm overflows in England are now monitored, with discharge data being published in near real time. The Environment Agency has asked companies to install new flow-to-full monitors at wastewater treatment works. to ensure that permit conditions are met during the sewage treatment process.