A record 81 criminal investigations have been launched into water companies following action by the government.
It means water bosses could be jailed for up to five years, or companies face fines of hundreds of millions of pounds, following the crackdown.
In 2024, England experienced a record 3.61 million hours of sewage discharge through storm overflows.
Ben Seal, Head of Access and Environment, at Paddle UK, said:
“The scale of this potentially criminal behaviour by some of the water companies is simply shocking.
“For too long it feels like this behaviour has gone unchecked and unpunished, so although well overdue, we welcome the announcement of action being taken by the Agency to investigate and punish these serious breaches in the law.”
“Of course we would all much rather be in a place where EA inspections found compliance and no case for prosecutions.
“However, until the culture of the water sector treating our rivers with contempt has passed, we hope the EA will make full use of the greater resources at its disposal and the new powers within the Special Measures Act, to clamp down on water companies who break the law.”
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The number of inspections carried out by authorities into sewage pollution has gone up 400% since July 2024, according to the government.
Water companies have been ordered to spend £104 billion and cut sewage discharges by nearly half over five years.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed:
“Water companies have too often gone unpunished as they pump record levels of sewage into our waterways. No more.
“A record number of criminal investigations have been launched into law-breaking water companies – which could see bosses behind bars.
“With this Government, water companies who break the law will finally be punished for their disgraceful behaviour so we can clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.”
Philip Duffy, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency said:
“This milestone is testament to our determination to hold water companies to account and achieve a cleaner water environment.
“Our message to the industry is clear: we expect full compliance throughout the water system, and we will not hesitate to take robust enforcement action where we identify serious breaches.
“This is just the beginning – we are on track to deliver 10,000 inspections next year, using our tougher powers gained through the Water (Special Measures) Act alongside more officers and upgraded digital tools to drive better performance across the water sector.”