Tim Farron MP presents radical water bill to parliament

Tim Farron, the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, and the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, presented a Private Members' Bill in the House of Commons entitled the Water Regulation (No. 2) Bill.

If the bill were to pass, it would aim to introduce a customer-led ownership model of water companies as well as create a new water regulator with powers to penalise water companies that pollute Britain’s waterways.

It would also force water companies to publish the volume of any sewage spills, and not just the duration of them, as is currently the case.

The bill would also provide support for those struggling to pay bills with ‘a national social tariff for water’.

Mr Farron, who is a major advocate for reform of the water industry, said sewage pollution in Britain’s waterways was ‘disgusting’.

The MP said: “It's not just disgusting though. It's completely outrageous that huge water companies should be able to get away with doing this without being properly held to account.”

The government has completely pushed back against Mr Farron’s new bill with a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson labelling it ‘out of date before even starting’.

The spokesperson said: “This government is already [taking] action to end the era of water company self-monitoring, introducing new MOT-style checks on water company assets and bringing in ‘no notice’ inspections to help clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.

"We have already taken action, banning unfair bonuses, securing record levels of investment and introducing landmark legislation to hold water companies to account – including jail time for water company executives who obstruct investigations.

 “Our long-term reforms will mean there is a new, single regulator with tougher oversight focused on preventing problems before they occur, helping to rebuild customer trust and protect the environment.”