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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to monitor the contribution of septic tanks to sewage pollution in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) the North East, (c) Northumberland, (d) Newcastle and (e) England.

Septic tanks provide safe waste management for properties, often located in isolated rural areas, without access to the mains sewage network. Typically small in volume, discharges from septic tanks are regulated under General Binding Rules established in 2023. The General Binding Rules impose requirements designed to prevent pollution without the need for an environmental permit. Discharges from septic tanks operating under the General Binding Rules must not cause pollution of surface water or groundwater.

The Environment Agency considers the contribution of septic tanks to sewage pollution in England as part of its approach to River Basin Management Plans. When a water body is not achieving good status, the cause is investigated and, where sufficient evidence is available, it is attributed to a sector such as private sewage systems (including septic tanks).

The Environment Agency also receives reports from the public, its partners, and its own staff monitoring the water environment in catchments across the country about pollution caused by discharges from septic tanks. The Environment Agency responds to these reports by assessing the risk posed to the environment. Where necessary the Environment Agency will take further action to ensure that discharges comply with the General Binding Rules.