AN MP has called for a ‘sewage tax’ after it was revealed a wastewater treatment plant in Sedbergh was responsible for the longest sewage discharge in the country, according to data analysis carried out by the Liberal Democrats.

Using data from the Environment Agency the political party ranked the top ten longest lasting sewage discharges in the country last year, which saw Sedbergh WWTW named as the worst offender- discharging sewage into the River Lune for a total of 8,490 hours.

A wastewater plant in Keswick ranked second discharging sewage for 8,275 hours into Derwentwater and another in Cark came eighth discharging sewage for 7,021 hours into the River Eea.

The three plants in Cumbria are run by United Utilities, alongside two others that appeared on the list.

The company said it takes its ‘environmental responsibilities very seriously’.

A United Utilities spokesman said: “The issue of wastewater discharges is now the subject of a national regulatory investigation and as a result we cannot comment any further. We will of course cooperate fully with any investigation.”

The Environment Agency (EA) and Ofwat launched a major investigation into sewage treatment works last week, after new checks led water companies to admit that they could be releasing non-authorised sewage discharges into rivers and watercourses.

The investigation involves more than 2000 sewage treatment works, with any company caught breaching legal permits facing enforcement action, including fines or prosecutions.

Fines can be up to 10 per cent of annual turnover for civil cases, or unlimited in criminal proceedings.

MP Tim Farron has now called for a ‘sewage tax’ on water companies to clean up the country’s sewage system.

Last month, Mr Farron tabled an Early Day Motion urging the Government to categorise Windermere and the Rothay, Brathay, and Kent rivers as designated bathing sites; introduce a registration scheme for septic tanks and to provide the new Office for Environmental Protection the power to regulate them; to confer power on the Environment Agency to ensure that water companies take all reasonable steps to avoid discharging untreated sewage into inland waters within National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

But he now says his ‘increasing view is that the law is not the way’.

“We have discovered that United Utilities were responsible for five of the top ten longest sewage discharges in the country in the last year and yet they haven’t been prosecuted for any in the last four years,” he said.

“We should prosecute people who offend but the other thing we’re proposing is a sewage tax on the profits of the water companies.

“We’re proposing a 16 per cent pre-tax profits to be used exclusively to fix the sewage system.

“My increasing view is that the law is not the way, prosecution will not achieve what we want.”