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 take steps to help prevent the discharge of raw sewage into (a) the River Itchen and (b) other waters near Southampton.

We have been clear that the failure of water companies to adequately reduce sewage discharges is totally unacceptable. Our recently launched Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years. Our plan will protect biodiversity, the ecology of our rivers and seas, and the public health of our water users for generations to come.

Robust enforcement action against illegal breaches of storm overflow permits is taken. Since 2015, the Environment Agency has brought 54 prosecutions against water companies, securing fines of almost £140million. This includes a £90million fine imposed on Southern Water last year.

Following regulatory intervention by the Environment Agency, Southern Water were required to commission and construct a new sewage treatment works at Woolston. This sewage treatment works became operational in June 2018 and serves almost 70,000 people in and around Southampton. The sewage treatment works has successfully improved water quality in the lower river Itchen, and Southampton.