NEW measures from government will help hold water companies to account for water quality in rivers, according to Ludlow MP, Philip Dunne who has been campaigning for a clean-up.
The government’s Strategic Policy Statement guidance to water regulator, Ofwat, sets the priorities to guide the next five year capital investment programme for water companies. It includes a number of recommendations from the Environmental Audit Committee, chaired by Mr Dunne.
These include: challenging water companies to demonstrate how they can deliver zero serious pollution incidents by 2030; prioritising investment to improve water treatment over lowering bills, to ensure that the sewerage system is fit for the future; amending previous wording around the use of storm overflows being used in ‘exceptional’ circumstances to only in cases of unusually heavy rainfall and prioritising overflows that do the most harm to sensitive environments.
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