Water Companies: Pollution

(asked on 25th January 2022) - View Source

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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with Ofwat about the powers it has to take action against individual water company executives in the event of illegal sewage discharges; and whether those discussions identified (1) any request from Ofwat for greater powers to fine water company executives, and (2) any lacunae in its regulatory powers in this area.


This question was answered on 17th February 2022

Water companies are separate legal entities from their directors, as per company law, and it is companies which undertake most of the duties associated with treatment and discharge of sewage. However, directors of companies can be held liable for the offences committed by their companies in the event that consent, connivance or neglect on their part can be shown.

The Government has made improving water quality a priority and has introduced reforms to enable that. The Environment Act has placed our ambition on a statutory footing, setting a duty for water companies to achieve a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from Storm Overflows. The Act has also modernised water resources planning, and introduced statutory requirements on monitoring and transparency. The Secretary of State can also give general authorisation to Ofwat which will enable the regulator to take enforcement action should companies fail to meet these new duties.

The Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat sets an expectation that they will challenge water companies to demonstrate how they will deliver improvements to environmental outcomes, sets a new course so the industry can deliver more for the environment, and includes an expectation for Ofwat to 'challenge water companies to demonstrate how they will achieve zero serious pollution incidents by 2030' which will provide a clear signal to companies.

Reticulating Splines