Win for our seas! King’s Speech details opportunities to stop sewage pollution
3 minute read
In July 2024, the King's Speech set out the new Labour government's priorities for the months ahead, including 38 new pieces of legislation. Most exciting for us were indications that our calls to recognise the value of our seas have been heard, with our main advocacy asks reflected in the new administration’s commitments to fund nature’s recovery and protect the environment.
As these commitments progress into law, we'll be working hard to make the government's promises become a reality.
We particularly welcome the new UK Government's recognition of the need to improve water quality – a key part of our manifesto - and their intention to introduce a Bill to strengthen powers of water regulators. This is a great start and shows the impact on lawmakers that we can have with your support. We need your continuing help to reach more parliamentarians and prove that this issue is something the public truly cares about.
We'll be following up with the UK Government to ensure that it delivers the change that is needed to truly hold water companies to account and stop sewage pollution.
Your voices are being heard on sewage pollution
Thousands of you joined us in urging political party leaders to prioritise the recovery and enhancement of our ocean during the election period. We called for immediate action to combat pollution and help save one of the world’s most precious resources – the ocean.
To stop the ever-increasing amount of untreated sewage from being released into our seas – spoiling our beaches and damaging our most precious marine life – we urged the new UK Government to “end all discharges of untreated sewage into the environment except under true emergency conditions or exceptional rainfall”.
We know that this is happening all around our coastlines, including onto beaches designated as bathing waters and into areas which are supposed to protect our most precious marine habitats and species.
Why we're celebrating the new Bill announcement
That's why we're celebrating the announcement during the King’s Speech that the new UK Government promises to “fundamentally transform our water industry and restore our rivers, lakes and seas to good health”.
This includes directly addressing our stop sewage pollution ask: the water (Special Measures) Bill will “require water companies to install real-time monitors at every sewage outlet with data independently scrutinised by the water regulators”.
Credit: Good Law Project
This is necessary because although “monitoring of storm overflows in England has increased to 100 per cent, there are still 7,000 permitted emergency overflows (i.e. non-storm overflows which can be used in extreme circumstances) in England that are not monitored”.
We campaigned on this issue in June 2023, when we revealed that fewer than 10% (686) of Emergency Overflows in England are monitored, with even those under scrutiny being used repeatedly.
What needs to happen next to end ocean pollution
While we welcome the news that the new UK Government is going to act on these issues, monitoring is only the first step. It must act now to ensure that water companies invest to protect and enhance our environment. Read the Wildlife and Countryside Link blueprint letter on wider water issues.
Sewage pollution is not the only pressing issue facing our seas. Forever chemicals are the invisible pollutants that can be found in every drop of water. They're likely to be found in every UK household and persist in the environment for many years because they cannot be broken down naturally. We want the UK Government to recognise the dangers of forever chemicals, like PFAS, and act now to tackle this growing issue, starting with an immediate ban of PFASs in fire-fighting foams.
We’re calling on the UK Government to restore our seas and enact the following five quick wins:
- Optimise the marine planning system to deliver offshore wind while restoring and enhancing our marine environment
- Tackle the growing issue of forever chemicals, beginning with the immediate ban of PFAS from fire-fighting foams
- In delivering our 30x30 commitments, unlock the true potential of our blue economy, publishing a strategy for sustainable blue jobs and economic growth
- Lead global efforts on climate change by continuing, and increasing, vital financial support to the UK Overseas Territories marine conservation programmes, including the globally renowned Blue Belt Programme and Darwin Plus.
- Accelerate target delivery of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, to protect our vulnerable Marine Protected Areas, bathing waters and shellfish waters.
