Labour Leader Demands Action on Raw Sewage Discharges into English Rivers, Calls for Thérèse Coffey’s Resignation

Keir Starmer has condemned the UK government for its handling of water pollution, accusing them of turning Britain’s rivers into “an open sewer”. His remarks followed the revelation that raw sewage was discharged into English rivers 825 times a day on average last year, leading to widespread environmental concerns.

The Environment Agency reported over 300,000 incidents of raw sewage spilling into rivers and coastal areas in 2022, amounting to more than 1.75 million hours of pollution. This has prompted calls for Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, to step down, with Labour and the Liberal Democrats intensifying their campaigns against the government’s record on water quality.

Starmer accused the government of inaction, saying that the widespread sewage dumping was “ruining so many areas of our country” while the Conservative government “sat on their hands” without addressing the issue. He pledged that under a Labour government, there would be “real action” on sewage discharges, including automatic fines for water companies and accountability for negligent practices.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey joined the calls for Coffey’s resignation, labelling the government’s failure to tackle the crisis as an “environmental crime”. He stated, “Thérèse Coffey has let water companies get away with this for too long. She simply doesn’t care enough to get tough on these polluting firms.”

Despite the backlash, a Conservative source defended the government’s position, arguing that Labour had also failed to monitor water quality during their time in power and claiming that Labour’s proposals would unfairly burden taxpayers and households.

Although the Environment Agency reported a 19% drop in the number of sewage spills from 2021 to 2022, with 301,091 incidents last year, government sources noted that the dry conditions contributed to higher-than-expected spill rates. However, critics argue that the overall situation remains unacceptable.

United Utilities, which serves the north-west of England, was identified as one of the main culprits, with over 69,000 sewage spills in 2022, including a site in Cumbria that saw sewage discharged more than 300 times.