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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of levels of water pollution in Yeovil constituency.

For too long, customers have been let down and water companies have discharged record levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.

That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will strengthen regulation, including delivering new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bringing criminal charges against persistent law breakers.

On 23 October, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system, to fundamentally transform how our water system works to put people and the environment first and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.

To date this financial year the Environment Agency’s Wessex Area (which covers Yeovil) has delivered over 200 water company industry inspections, as well as inspections of non-water company permitted discharges throughout Wessex. This risk-based inspection programme is strengthening oversight of companies.