Severn Trent and fellow water utility Anglian are to set aside £100mlnt a year to tackle growing public anger over the amount of sewage being pumped into the UK’’s rivers and waterways.
Liv Garfield, Severn Tent’s chief executive, admitted that the utility is moving slower than the public wants adding that the industry “hasn’t managed to keep pace with expectations”.
“When you look at the evidence in the data, the situation improves year on year.”
The two utilities said they will ensue ensure storm overflows and sewage treatment works do not harm rivers according to official guidelines.
Garfield added: “The only way to make a real difference is to identify clear and actionable commitments and provide real transparency on our progress.
“We cannot do this alone; we need everyone to understand their role in river health.
“That is why we are committed to redoubling our own efforts and investment to help others reduce their impact as well as our own.”
The frequency and volume of sewage pouring into rivers from storm overflows has been a growing problem for water companies since Brexit.
Last September, the government allowed the industry to dump unprocessed sewage into rivers and the sea, as Brexit and the pandemic disrupted normal water treatment.
Britain’s exit from the European Union had made it more difficult to get hold of water treatment chemicals, a situation made worse by port disruptions caused by Covid.
A report in January from parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) blamed the poor water quality in UK rivers on "chronic" underinvestment and multiple failures in monitoring, governance and enforcement.
Only 14% of English rivers meet good ecological status and not a single river in England has received a clean bill of health for chemical contamination, the EAC report said.
Using Environment Agency guidelines, Severn and Anglian have said they endeavour to ensure storm overflows and sewage treatment works do not harm rivers.
Severn is expected to invest around £100mln each year into the new plans, which also include helping wildlife and getting people more access to rivers.
Anglian chief Peter Simpson added: “As the Environment Bill became the Environment Act, we made it clear we felt even more action was needed to ensure the future health of our rivers – by coming together as an industry, securing the right investment as part of the regulatory process, and working collaboratively with other sectors.
Brexit is cited as one of the reasons pollution in Britain’s rivers has soared as alongside the pandemic supplies of water treatment chemicals were disrupted prompting the giving to give the sector more leeway to dump sewage in waterways.
Shares in Severn Trent were little changed at 2,828p.