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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will submit an environmental information request to South West Water seeking to obtain details of the (a) testing and (b) monitoring they have carried out along the River Teign in the last five years.

Access to testing and monitoring data is vital for transparency and to hold water companies to account to deliver protections for our rivers, lakes and seas. There are a number of provisions to ensure that Government, regulators and the public have access to the information about discharges from water company assets.

The Environment Agency undertakes statutory bathing water samples to test for microbiological water quality including faecal indicator organisms at Teignmouth Town, Shaldon and Ness Cove, and six additional freshwater sites along the River Teign, during the bathing water season. High readings will be investigated.

This data is published on the EA’s Swimfo bathing waters website so that the public can make an informed decision before swimming.

Since 1 January 2025, water companies are required to publish data related to discharges from all storm overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. This data can be found on the South West Water website.