More sewage dumped in our sea

In a letter to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed, I have highlighted the persistent discharging of sewage on Blackpool’s coastline by United Utilities.

I was alerted to a sewage discharge that occurred just before 6pm yesterday at St Annes North, which neighbours and directly impacts my Blackpool South constituency. All of Blackpool’s beaches, and a total of five across the Fylde Coast, have been listed as at risk of pollution by the Safer Seas and Rivers Service.

So far in 2024 there have been a combined 158 pollution alerts on Fylde Coast beaches. Environment Agency figures released in March revealed United Utilities to be the UK's worst polluter. It released raw sewage from storm overflows into open water on the Fylde Coast almost 1,500 times in 2023.

The figure comprises 105 discharges within Blackpool’s local authority boundaries, for a total of around 260 hours, and 1,372 in Fylde – where the River Wyre feeds into our sea – for 7,711 hours.

Alongside poor enforcement by the EA, and a lack of funding from central government, years of underinvestment by United Utilities in its infrastructure are directly responsible for pollution on our coastline.

The Labour government plans to tackle sewage discharges include putting polluting water companies under special measures. Under these plans Ofwat could have blocked six out of nine water bosses’ bonuses last year because of severe levels of illegal pollution. Water bosses who oversee repeated law-breaking will also face criminal charges.

The government also plans to introduce severe and automatic fines for illegal sewage discharges and end self-monitoring so companies can no longer cover up illegal sewage dumping.

I welcome the government’s plans to hold water companies to account but requested a meeting with the Secretary of State to discuss how we can work together to immediately improve this urgent ongoing situation in Blackpool.

Ahead of tomorrow’s scheduled ruling by the Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) on whether to allow water companies to increase bills to help fund investment in the sector, I pointed out the huge profits made by United Utilities.

The company’s CEO, Louise Beardmore, is compensated £875,500 a year in salary and bonuses and directly owns 0.007% of the company's shares, worth £492,390.

Meanwhile, UU, which serves 7 million customers across the region, is expected to increase their water bills by 38% over the next five years to £666.

I previously raised the issue after sewage was discharged into Blackpool South on 29th May, after I was elected as MP following the Blackpool South by-election on 2 May. I met with Dr Barbara Kneale from campaign group Fylde Coast Against Sewage at the site of the discharge to discuss the issue.

This is an urgent problem for Blackpool – a town where the economy is built on tourism and our beaches are the town’s greatest attraction. This summer, when families should be enjoying our coastline, they have been advised not to enter the sea.

My constituents should be able to reap all the benefits of our town’s greatest natural asset. The pollution of our seas and beaches not only threatens our health but our wellbeing and sense of local pride.”

Read my letter to the Secretary of State below:

Blackpool Gazette: MP calls for action on beach pollution after sewage discharge but water company says it is protecting coast

More sewage dumped in our sea

Meeting with Blackpool Vic’s Chief exec

Swearing in to Parliament… again