Water companies’ £10 billion plan to prevent future sewage spills is a major win for the news brand’s ‘Clean It Up’ campaign
As well as apologising for the declining standards the public have faced, the industry promises the largest infrastructure modernisation since the nineteenth century.
An additional £10 billion will be spent by water companies over the next seven years to curb sewage spills, with the money spent to be spent on building new storm tanks and other infrastructure.
Campaigners and the government have welcomed the “long overdue” apology, however critics point out the additional funding is likely to be funded by higher bills for consumers.
The Times’ ‘Clean It Up’ campaign calls for faster investment and tougher regulation to improve Britain’s waterways, as well as increased powers for the Environment Agency.
In a column in today’s edition of The Times, Ruth Kelly, chairwoman of industry body Water UK, writes: “The Times’ Clean It Up campaign, along with campaigners such as Feargal Sharkey and Paul Whitehouse, has pushed the issue of sewage to the top of the national agenda.
“Water companies have been in the spotlight — and it has been a chastening experience. I want to tell everyone today that we’ve listened and we’ve heard.”
Read more here.
