WIREDGOV

Customers expect water companies to be good custodians of the environment; action such as inappropriate use of sewer overflows is unacceptable and needs to stop.

CCW is committed to ending sewer flooding – in our homes and in our rivers –  and thinks a sector wide debate on achieving improvements should be a priority. Storm overflows remain an important last resort to protect homes and communities during extreme weather but their use beyond that should never be tolerated.

One of the ways we are doing this is by joining forces with a number of other organisations, including Government, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, Blueprint for Water and Water UK – as part of the Defra led Storm Overflows Taskforce, which has been set up to eliminate the harm caused by these overflows.

We have made a number of recommendations to ensure water companies commit to increasing transparency around when and how storm overflows are used.  This could help water companies and regulators prioritise where action is needed to reduce the environmental harm that can be caused by sewage spills. We now want to see companies sharing information with consumers.

Information regarding water quality on beaches and in other bathing areas in England can be found via the GOV UK website.

CCW through our End Sewer Flooding Misery campaign are working alongside water and wastewater companies to improve protection and raise the bar for customer service.