Sewage vote: Judgement day for Conservative MPs

Ahead of MPs voting tomorrow on taking tougher action against water companies found to be discharging sewage into rivers and coastlines, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron said:

"This vote will be judgement day for Conservative MPs on the sewage crisis plaguing our coastlines and rivers. 

"Conservative MPs have spent the past year blocking tough new laws on water companies. They are trying to take the British public for fools with tough talk and no action.

"Communities across the country have had enough of Conservative MPs who would rather protect water firms over their local environment."

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

MPs will tomorrow force a binding vote in the House of Commons to take new action on water firms discharging sewage into waterway.

Labour uses an Opposition Day motion to force a binding vote in the House Commons to introduce its Water Quality (Sewage Discharge) Bill on 2 May.

Labour says its intervention comes in the absence of a govt plan to end sewage dumping by water companies, and seeks to force the Conservatives to allow parliamentary time for its passage.

The Bill, to be introduced by Shadow Environment Secretary Jim McMahon, seeks to legally underpin four 'crucial' reduction measures: setting a legal requirement for the monitoring of all sewage outlets and penalties for failures in adhering to monitoring requirements; imposing automatic fines for sewage dumping; implementing a legally binding target to reduce sewage dumping events; and a requirement for the govt to publish a strategy for the reduction of sewage discharges and regular economic impact assessments