MP | Party | Constituency | Vote 1 | Vote 2 | Vote 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NO
DID NOT VOTE
TOMAZ HEIGHT
(Monster Raving Pooey Party - Shitterton)
VOTED TO ALLOW RAW SEWAGE DUMPS TO CONTINUE
(MP is no longer representing constituency)
THE PETITION
STOP ALL RAW SEWAGE DUMPS IN UK WATER
2023 saw the highest levels of raw sewage discharged ever recorded in England and Wales. Levels doubled to 3.6 million hours in the year.
Parliament voted to allow this to continue for the next 15 years.
We’re demanding MPs put concrete targets in place to eradicate all raw sewage dumps in UK water.
SHARE THE PETITION
In 2021 the House of Lords proposed a legal duty on water firms to reduce untreated sewage discharges. MP’s rejected the amendment and put forward their own. However, this didn’t include timetables or targets to reduce discharge so it was pretty non-committal and very ‘ignorable’.
Despite a reported 384,000 raw sewage spills in 2022, the previous year, on January 25th 2023, 300 MPs voted in favour of environmental targets which would allow raw sewage dumping to continue for at least the next 15 years. The news received widespread criticism for having a lack of ambition or urgency.
Among the provisions was a target aiming for an 80% reduction in phosphates in waterways by 2038, a measure that essentially permits the ongoing dumping of raw sewage until at least that date.
When you flush the loo. Or spit toothpaste down the drain. Or pour milk down the kitchen sink – it goes down the same pipe into the sewer system.
This then goes to a sewage treatment centre – which is run by your water company.
Sewage comes in > Sewage is treated > Treated water comes out.
But these treatment centres are also connected to the drains on our streets. So sometimes, when there’s a lot of rain, they can’t keep up, and the overflow (raw, untreated sewage) is poured into our waters.
While we don’t think they should be, these types of spills (resulting from significant rainfall) are currently legal.
But – and it’s a big but – these treatment centres’ infrastructure is so poor, they are also overflowing when there is not significant rainfall – because their systems can’t keep up.
Quite simply, there is no excuse for them not ‘keeping up.’ These water companies are making record profits, giving out record bonuses, and dishing out enormous dividends to shareholders.
These companies have the money to reinvest in their infrastructure. We are demanding that MPs put rules in place to make sure they do.
The Smear Campaign is an initiative started by COPI – the Central Office of Public Interest. We are a registered non-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) that runs national campaigns to communicate the most pressing environmental issues to the public.
To donate, click here.