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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to studies by the University of Suffolk and Woodbridge Town Council along the River Deben, if he will take steps to tackle the presence E. coli in rivers across the UK.

New measures introduced to tackle storm overflow discharges and agricultural pollution will help to address levels of E. Coli in rivers across England. We recently published the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan Consultation, which will drive the largest investment and delivery programme in tackling storm sewage discharges in history. New duties on water companies in the Environment Act require water companies to publish storm overflow spill data in near real time and monitor water quality impacts upstream and downstream of assets. Furthermore, designated bathing waters are monitored and protected from E. coli, due to the risk to bathers' health.

Farming reforms will also tackle run-off into rivers, and farmers will be paid for actions that improve the environment. We have increased coverage of the Catchment Sensitive Farming programme from 40% to 100% over the next three years and have increased funding for 85 extra EA farm inspectors to be recruited in this financial year.