As many of my constituents know all too well, here in our East Grinstead and Uckfield constituency, and across the Southeast of England more generally, we are incredibly water-stressed. In fact, as I have probably mentioned before, I am told we are as water-stressed as Morocco. We also experience repeated water outages and ongoing problems and pressures around water pipe connectivity, bulk sharing contracts, Weirwood Reservoir continuing to be ‘out of order’, leaks and burst pipes, aging infrastructure and treatment works, huge increases to our population and housing stock, changes to how and where we work (WFH) and climate change. As well as households, our rural businesses, farms, vineyards, garden centres, nurseries, growers and small holdings all depend on water to function and thrive. Although I do understand some works from Southern Water have commenced at Weirwood and this plan with South East Water is vital while protecting the important community and leisure uses both there and at Ardingly reservoir.
So, the issues around water that I have been working on, and discussing with stakeholders, SE Water amongst them, have been focussed on addressing water scarcity, supply and resilience in the long term, especially as our area is marked out for further massive housing development under this Labour Government’s targets, as well as plans for better and quicker emergency responses, communications and compensation routes in the short term.
We can’t keep lurching from one crisis to the next and I have spoken in debates, in the House and asked multiple questions as my colleagues and I keep pressing this Government to ensure it prioritises improving our water resilience, which will need to include improving water efficiency and reducing leaks. It is essential this Labour Government consider the vital importance of our water supply infrastructure, such as reservoirs, and regulations, such as building standards – our water security at local and national levels.
Here is a link to my last statement and I will be updating constituents soon on my latest meeting with SE Water.
Mims Davies MP Statement on Local Water Issues | Mims Davies
However, this statement has been written in response to those constituents who have contacted me with their concerns about sewage and storm overflows, often referencing the Channel 4 programme, 'Dirty Business’ which I know has raised considerable awareness about sewage spills.
Let me be clear, sewage in our rivers is unacceptable. I can’t think of anyone who would disagree and I can assure my constituents, I am committed to tackling storm overflows and protecting public health and the environment from discharges.
The last Government did make much-needed progress in addressing these unacceptable storm overflows. When Labour was last in Government in 2010, just 7 per cent of storm overflows were monitored. To put it another way, 93 per cent of sewage discharges were happening with no oversight and no accountability whatsoever. The only reason we now know the scale of the problem is because, under the last Government, monitoring was increased to 100 per cent in 2023.
Once we knew the scale and extent of the problem, we started to address it and the previous Conservatives Government was the first government in history to set out its expectation that water companies must act to significantly reduce storm overflows. One of the many actions taken was passing the Environment Act 2021. This Act gave stronger powers to regulators and stronger powers for tackling pollution and ensuring greater transparency so that we can now hold water companies and polluters to account.
The previous Government also legislated to introduce unlimited penalties on water companies who breach their environmental permits and expand the range of offences to which penalties can be applied, giving the Environment Agency the tools to hold water companies to account. These fines and penalties were ringfenced to the Water Restoration Fund which offers grant funding on a competitive basis to support local groups, farmers and landowners and community-led schemes, boosting their capacity to improve the water environment. The projects range from those that seek to increase biodiversity to restoring floodplains.
During the passage of the Water (Special Measures) Act, it was disappointing the Labour Government did not support the amendment which HM Official Opposition tabled which sought to put the Water Restoration Fund on a statutory footing.
Of course, every Government needs to go further and do better, and I do appreciate the benefit that could be brought by changing monitoring from the number of hours of discharge to the actual volume of discharge. On issues like these, transparency is crucial and we must have the full facts if we are going to get this under control.
Bathing waters are one of the most visible ways in which the public interacts with the water environment. Nobody wants people to have to check the level of sewage discharge at their local beach before deciding whether to make the trip. However, to make this a reality, the Labour Government needs to build on the work started by the previous Government, work at pace and take action immediately to improve the infrastructure, the regulations and to get a grip of the situation.
So, I am pleased the Government has run a consultation on the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 and I understand several organisations have called for the Regulations to be updated to reflect the modern ways in which the public uses bathing waters so that they continue to support public health outcomes. The Minister has confirmed the Government is undergoing policy development and research to determine how best to implement the wider reforms. Part of this work will involve engagement with stakeholders and I will scrutinise the Government's proposals when they are published.
However, I am extremely troubled by the news that thousands of water tests to identify potential harmful pollution in rivers, lakes and estuaries in England have been cancelled. I understand the cancellations are due to staff shortages and managing budgets. The Government needs to get a grip and deliver on monitoring water pollution, not just talk about it.
I was also very disappointed the Government did not support the amendments tabled by HM Official Opposition to protect our chalk streams during the passage of the Planning Infrastructure Act. England is home to 85 per cent of the world’s chalk streams and it is imperative these nutrient-rich, biodiverse habitats are protected. This is unfortunate and, frankly, unforgivable.
As you may know, the Government's Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 has now become law. I did feel many measures in the Act were unnecessary as the legislation simply brought forward measures introduced by the last Government. For example, the last Government had already announced water company executive bonuses would be blocked if a company had committed serious criminal breaches.
Nonetheless, I backed it throughout its passage and supported amendments to strengthen its provisions further. Constituents will be pleased this Act blocks bonuses for water company executives who pollute our waterways; brings criminal charges against persistent law breakers; impose automatic and severe fines for wrongdoing; and enable independent monitoring of every sewer outlet. I will be discussing the issue of these penalties and fines in more detail in my next update on water. These measures, as I said, do build on our action in Government.
His Majesty's Official Opposition tabled sensible, constructive amendments to this Act as it was progressing through Parliament such as the one on the Water Restoration Fund mentioned earlier and it was disappointing the Government chose not to be supportive.
Turning to current calls for nationalisation, I do honestly believe that nationalisation is a helpful soundbite not a true solution. Some parties prefer this type of politics. If we take the example of the water companies, independent evaluations have repeatedly shown that water bills would be higher if water companies were still nationalised. If industries such as water or energy were nationalised, they would have to compete for government (taxpayers) money alongside the NHS, the armed forces, the police, schools, social care and, of course, the ballooning welfare system. The money that would be available from the Treasury would be far less than private companies are able to leverage on the markets.
This also presumes the money is available in the Treasury – in this unsettled geo-political climate, finding money from taxpayers rather than working to hold those responsible companies to account feels like a solution easily said and not easily done. Therefore, bailing out water companies and significantly changing funding mechanisms is not a reasonable position to take at this juncture which other parties will never be honest about.
What we need to be focused on is ensuring these companies deliver for customers and for the environment, and that is what the Government should be prioritising. In fact, in the Water White paper announced on 20th of January 2026, Emma Reynolds MP (SoS for DEFRA) said they had
‘secured a historic investment of £104 billion of private sector funding to rebuild the water network.’
and that a key aim was to
‘make the water sector more attractive to, and reliable for, long-term low-risk investors by simplifying performance commitments. We will introduce new measures to improve financial resilience and ensure investors receive a fair and stable return that compensates for risk.’
Water White Paper - Hansard - UK Parliament
acknowledging that even Labour now realises private investment is the only feasible and sustainable way to fund the UK’s water industry. I do accept we must acknowledge historic underfunding under multiple governments leading to inadequate action from Ofwat as, seemingly, it solely prioritised efforts to keep bills low for consumers meaning that other matters have now come home to roost. The long-awaited Independent Water Commission report found there had been pressure to keep household prices low for years which has led to bills being expected to jump by 30% between now and 2030 as priorities rightly shift to the investment necessary to future proof our water supplies. In our area, I understand neither SE Water nor Southern Water have, rightly, paid any dividends to shareholders since 2017 and I will be discussing future infrastructure plans in my next update. These plans should extend to their leadership too, in my view.
The Government's independent review of the water industry was published on 21 July 2025 and outlines 88 recommendations, representing one of the most detailed examinations of the water sector since privatisation and I have provided a link to the report summary here:
Independent Water Commission Final Report - Summary
In January 2026, the Government finally published its Water White Paper in response to the independent review, containing some elements I cautiously welcome including having a single regulator for water to improve efforts in holding water companies to account.
I can assure constituents this Labour Government will continue to be held to account in preventing sewage spillage in our lakes, rivers and seas. Ultimately, the success of cleaning up our waterways will be in the delivery, efficiency and effectiveness of the Government's actions. Currently, I believe they are moving too slowly and I believe my constituents roundly agree.
