MP’s vote to allow raw sewage into our rivers and seas- as not one of our rivers is classed as in good health.
On the 26 of October our MP’s chose to vote in favour of allowing water polluters to legally pump raw sewage into our rivers and seas. Yes, you did read that correctly and no we have not turned the clock back to the Victorian era despite what it seems.
Despite climate leaders gathering for the current COP26 talks in Glasgow, our MP’s have taken this horrific decision and horrific it is. No one at this stage who openly voted for this decision can claim to care about our planet or its wild life. We are at the stage where we should be demanding water polluters clean up their act, instead we give them the legal ability to flush human sewage straight into our rivers and seas.
The sad fact is that not one of our rivers is now classed as in good health, let’s leave that there to sink in, excuse the pun.
Matthew Frith,Director of Policy and Research at London Wildlife Trust told the Havering Daily:
“Our rivers and seas are the bedrock of our biodiversity. But, chemicals, sewage and manure continue to pour almost unabated into our already polluted waterways. Just last year, there were over 400,000 spills of sewage into England’s rivers and seas. This has led our rivers, lakes and streams to crisis point – with 0% now classed as in good health in England, despite a target for all waters to be in good health by 2027. Even in Havering, whilst much improvement work has been carried out by the Roding Beam & Ingrebourne Catchment Partnership in liaison with the Environment Agency, its up against a legacy of decades of pollution.
“We need to bring clean water back into the landscape, treating wastewater to higher standards, reducing pollution from agriculture, domestic misconnections, industry, and reducing sewage discharges. It is disappointing therefore that the Government removed an amendment to the Environment Bill that would have placed a legal duty on water companies to reduce harm caused by sewage discharges. If we’re to get serious about turning around the state of our badly polluted rivers, we need MPs to support stronger measures to protect them in the Environment Bill.”
