Time for Action: Cleaning Up Our Rivers and Holding Water Companies Accountable

Last week, shocking new figures confirmed that United Utilities pumped 450,778 hours worth of sewage into our waterways last year. This is completely unacceptable. Across Stockport, people are rightly furious at the continued pollution of the River Mersey, Goyt, and Tame, and smaller brooks like Carr Brook, Micker Brook, and Lady Brook.

For years, I have campaigned against sewage pollution in our rivers, pushing for urgent action to protect our local environment. I am pleased to have helped secure a multi-million-pound investment from United Utilities in Bramhall, which should help prevent sewage pollution in Carr Brook and further downstream. But let’s be clear: water companies must do more.

Ofwat Has Failed – We Need a Tougher Regulator

The Liberal Democrats have been leading the charge to overhaul the way our water industry is regulated. Ofwat has utterly failed to hold water companies accountable, and it’s time for a new regulator with real powers to stop this scandal once and for all. That’s why we are calling for:

• A Clean Water Authority to replace Ofwat, with the power to impose tough penalties on polluting water companies, set legally binding targets, and force real-time sewage spill data reporting.
• More funding for regulators, so they can properly enforce environmental laws and protect our rivers and streams.
• Stronger legal enforcement, ensuring that water company bosses face real consequences—including revoking licences when they repeatedly fail to act.

The government has announced an independent commission to review the water industry, which is a step forward. But this must not be an excuse to delay urgent reforms. The time for reviews is over—we need immediate action to clean up our rivers.

Fighting for Stronger Laws to Protect Our Waterways

The Liberal Democrats have been leading the fight in Parliament to introduce stronger protections for our rivers. When the Water (Special Measures) Bill was debated, my colleagues Tim Farron MP and Charlie Maynard MP tabled 44 amendments to strengthen the law. These included:

✅ Setting clear pollution reduction targets to hold water companies accountable.
✅ Forcing the financial firms that profited from water companies' debt to cover costs—not ordinary bill payers.
✅ Stopping water companies from using offshore tax havens to hide their profits.
✅ Banning the revolving door between Ofwat and water companies, preventing conflicts of interest.
✅ Installing volume flow meters to properly monitor sewage spills.
✅ Reporting the actual amount of sewage spilled into our waterways.

Not a single one of these amendments was supported by the Conservatives or the Labour Party. That’s right—the Government and Labour both refused to back tougher action against polluting water firms.

A Cleaner Future for Our Rivers

Protecting our natural environment is at the heart of Liberal Democrat policy. If we were in power, we would put an end to this national disgrace. I will continue to fight for our rivers, brooks, and streams to ensure that polluters pay - not local families.

Stockport’s waterways deserve better. The people of Cheadle constituency deserve better. And I won’t stop until we get the cleaner, healthier rivers we all want to see.