Water bills should freeze while sewage threatens Santa swims and surfing, MP says
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An MP has called for a freeze on water bills as sewage overflows continue to threaten water-based recreational activities, including the festive dips and surfing. Ben Maguire expressed his concern in the Commons on Thursday over the decision by regulator Ofwat that would permit companies to raise the average bill by £31 yearly for the coming five years.
Surf therapy charity The Wave Project cancelled its annual Santa Surf event at Newquay’s Fistral Beach in Cornwall, according to a post on its chief executive Ramon Van de Velde’s LinkedIn account. He said “an ocean full of sewage is not a safe space – not good for your health and wellbeing” after a storm overflow discharge, and said the state of waterways is “a political issue, and something our politicians can and should solve”.
Ben Maguire, representing North Cornwall for the Liberal Democrats, told the Commons: "North Cornwall has world-class beaches and rivers but Santa swims have been cancelled due to the constant dumping of raw sewage.". And he voiced his frustrations about water companies taking in millions from billpayers only to hand it out to shareholders the following day. Mr Maguire continued with a demand for an absolute halt on water bill increases until the sewage discharge "scandal" was rectified, describing it as "the best gift (Environment Secretary Steve Reed) could give (his) constituents this Christmas".
Responding, Mr Reed condemned the legacy of degradation left by the past government, saying: "(Mr Maguire) is quite right to point to the scandalous situation the previous government left our waterways in, with record levels of pollution, raw sewage, filthy in our rivers, lakes and seas.".
