We have updated our resources on the Sewage Scandal as new figures have been released showing the extent of raw sewage dumping last year.
Across England the amount of sewage dumping in rivers, seas and beauty spots doubled in 2023 when compared to the previous year – with over 3.6 millions hours of sewage spilling taking place. This makes last year the worst on record for sewage dumping.
Sewage continues to be a major issue for voters across Britain – and a scandal for the Conservative Government that the problem is getting worse rather than better while in many parts of the country household water bills are rising and water company bosses continue to receive large bonuses.
The Liberal Democrats have a clear and comprehensive policy on this issue. We are calling for a National Emergency to be declared, the introduction of a Sewage Tax and the creation of a stronger independent regulator with powers to issue unlimited fines to polluting water companies.
You can check out the 2023 statistics for your area by downloading the National Environment Agency spreadsheet below – which has the data for each overflow point in England split by region. For a more concise summary of the data in your area you can use the interactive map provided by the Guardian also linked below.
Using the Guardian Map linked above we have updated our template materials to help you campaign on this huge issue in your local community. If you have local elections in May – and especially if you are in a Conservative facing area – this could be a great issue to work into your campaign.
- A3 Focus Drop In – Affinity – PDF
- A3 Election Drop In – Affinity – PDF
- A4 Focus Drop In – Affinity – PDF
- A4 Election Drop In – Affinity – PDF
- Template Press Release
- Template Email to Residents
- Template Website / Blog Article
Some regions are also experiencing increases in household water bills, and some water companies bosses continue to receive huge bonuses. The template materials above include optional paragraphs if this is the case in your region. You can find out here.