MP Chris Vince backs tough action to protect Stort from water company pollution

Labour MP Chris Vince has backed legislation to crack down on water companies who pollute rivers like the Stort.

His Harlow constituency includes the Hallingburys, Hatfield Broad Oak, Hatfield Heath, Sheering, Lower Sheering and Matching.

He said: “After 14 years of Conservative failure, raw toxic sewage is being pumped into rivers like the Stort.

“That is why the Labour Government has introduced immediate action to end the disgraceful behaviour of water companies and their bosses.

“Under this Labour Government, water executives will no longer line their own pockets while pumping out this filth. If they refuse to comply, they could end up in the dock and face prison time.”

The Water (Special Measures) Bill will empower regulators to take tougher and faster action against water companies damaging the environment and failing customers.

The new legislation will also ban bonus payments to water bosses if they fail to meet standards to protect the environment, their consumers and their companies’ finances.

Other measures in the Bill include automatic fines for a range of offences and independent monitoring of every sewage outlet.

Water companies will be required to publish real-time data for all emergency overflows and discharges will have to be reported within an hour of the initial spill.

Mr Vince said: “This Bill is a major step forward in our wider reform to fix the broken water system.

“The Labour Government will outline further legislation to fundamentally transform how the water industry is run and speed up the delivery of upgrades to our sewage infrastructure to clean up our waterways for good.”