Lib Dems announce £10m plan to recruit new Sewage Inspectors with rollout of unannounced inspections

EMBARGO: 22:30 Monday 17th June 

• New “Sewage-busters” to crack down on water pollution
• New funding worth £10 million to boost the proposed new water regulator, the Clean Water Authority, to enhance environmental protection
• Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey says sewage dumping is a “national scandal” 

The Liberal Democrats have today (Tuesday 18th June) announced their plans to increase the number of water inspections to clamp down on sewage dumping water firms. 

The party has pledged £10 million per year to deliver new water quality inspectors, as part of an ambition to recruit at least one hundred new ‘sewage-busters’.

The water quality inspectors would work for the party’s new water regulator, the Clean Water Authority, giving it the capacity to deliver unannounced inspections, ensuring water firms cannot cover up pollution. 

The role of the new inspectors could include conducting audits of water company pollution and illegal sewage dumping, with the ability to force entry to sites if water companies were slow to grant permission.

Under the party’s plans, the water regulator Ofwat would be replaced with a new Clean Water Authority which would take on relevant powers to inspect and clean up waterways in England from the Environment Agency.

The Liberal Democrats have previously accused the Environment Agency of becoming “a leaky bucket of endless staff turnover and rock bottom morale”, with a Parliamentary Written Question tabled by the party revealing the staggering leaving rates of staff at the Environment Agency. 

Since 2016, 8,836 staff have left the Environment Agency. These leavers all but wiped out the government’s recent recruitment drive and left large gaps in Environment Agency monitoring capacity. 

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: 

“It is a national scandal that the Conservatives have allowed water firms to mark their own homework.

“A new wave of sewage busters will ensure no water company gets away with polluting our treasured rivers, lakes and coastlines. 

“By increasing testing, we can finally get a grip on these polluting and profiteering firms who completely disregard our environment. 

“The whole sewage scandal stinks, with water firms making eye-watering profits whilst dumping filthy sewage like no tomorrow. 

“Liberal Democrats will hire new sewage-busting inspectors to clamp down on sewage dumping and put a stop to this dreadful scandal.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Liberal Democrats are pledging an extra £10 million to the new Clean Water Authority to hire new sewage inspectors.

Under Liberal Democrat plans, the water regulator Ofwat would be replaced with a new Clean Water Authority which would take on relevant powers to inspect and clean up waterways from the Environment Agency. 

Data obtained by Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Question on Environment Agency staff turnover 
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P0qqo3FplLC5tkKCWMhVyfJ1Di5YeAZTo570SOwkaow/edit?gid=0#gid=0