Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, spoke in Parliament on Tuesday about the ongoing issue of sewage overflows around the Isle of Wight coastline.
He called for the timescales enabling legal action to be taken against the water companies to come forward
Seely: “We’ve seen complacency and failure in the water industry”
Addressing the former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice MP, Seely said,
“On the Island, we have persuaded Southern Water to undertake its most ambitious pathfinder project, which should, in time, see dramatic improvements.
“We need them, because in the past 24 hours we have had overflows at Bembridge, Cowes, Ryde, Seaview, Freshwater and Gurnard, which is unacceptable.
“I pay tribute to the work done by the Secretary of State and former Ministers in bringing in these new laws that have exposed the problem.
“We have seen the complacency and the failure in the water industry. Because of that failure and complacency, should we not now be bringing forward the legal timescales by which we demand action?
“We have exposed the problem, so can we not do more to demand that those water companies take the action that we all want to see?”
Eustice: “That issue is about long-term investment in infrastructure”
The answer appeared to be a ‘no’ from George Eustice, who replied,
“It is important to distinguish between the failure of water companies to abide by their permit conditions, which is an issue and is the reason for the Environment Agency bringing multiple prosecutions on this matter—we must bring that to a speedy conclusion, seek immediate rectification and bring them back into compliance with their permit conditions—and the separate issue of the permitted use of storm overflows.
“That issue is about long-term investment in infrastructure, which is what our discharge plan addressed.”
Article edit
8.30pm 7th Se[ 2022 – added ‘former’ in reference to George Eustice
