UK Campaigners unveil plaque on MP's door to commemorate vote on Environment Bill

Miranda Norris
Wed, 1 February 2023 

Campaigners unveil plaque on MP's door to commemorate vote on Environment Bill (Image: Public)

Environmental campaigners unveiled a commemorative plaque on the door of an MP's constituency office as part of a mass action against MPs who voted against an amendment to the Environment Bill.

Witney's Robert Courts was one of those MPs and local activists unveiled the commemorative plaque as part of a national campaign, coordinated by the Dirty Water campaign group.

Dirty Water was started by Extinction Rebellion rebels, but includes activists from other ecology and environmental campaign groups.

Oxford Mail:

It says its purpose is "to raise awareness of the damage done to the UK's inland and coastal waters by water companies, industries and agribusinesses, enabled by this country's indulgent politicians and the undermining of regulatory enforcement".

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Dirty Water's fist mass action was the unveiling of blue plaques around the UK last Saturday at the offices of the 265 MPs who voted against an amendment to the Environment Bill.

The amendment, which was first put forward by the Duke of Wellington in the House of Lords, proposed forcing large companies, such as Thames Water, to ‘take all reasonable steps’ to avoid sewage overflowing into rivers.

Most Conservative MPs including Mr Courts voted against the amendment and it was voted down by 268 votes to 204.

Steve Conlon, of Dirty Water, said: "Instead it was decided to incentivise them to make improvements or be fined.

"Since privatisation, water companies have done little to prevent sewage spills, despite making £2.8 billion profit in 2021.

"Last summer alone, over 90 beaches were closed to the public after water companies discharged sewage into the waters which left beaches contaminated with human sewage.

"In December 2022 the Environment Agency announced it was pushing back targets to clean up England’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters from 2027 to 2063, adding further risk to vulnerable ecosystems and precious water resources."

Mr Courts said it was a "wholly disingenuous allegation".

He said: "Instead of wasting time with disingenuous publicity stunts, Extinction Rebellion campaigners need to look at the facts.

"The Environment Act is amongst the most ambitious environmental legislation in the world. It will significantly improve water quality and reduce discharges.

"In eliminating storm overflows, we are talking about transforming a system which has operated since the Victorian Era.

"The truth is that we cannot transform such a system overnight with a blanket ban on sewage discharges. The result would be sewage backing up into pipes and flooding into peoples’ homes and on the streets.

Oxford Mail:

"Setting out lofty aspirations is all well and good, but first we need to do the long, technical, practical work required to understand how we can deliver on these ambitions."

He said the Water Framework Directive that requires all waterbodies (river, lakes, groundwater, transitional, coastal) to attain 'Good Water Status' (qualitative and quantitative) by 2027 remains.

"The target for ‘good ecological status of waters’ is still 2027 and it is wholly incorrect that this has been pushed back to 2063," he said.

"This is a legal target and is set out in the Water Framework Directive.

"This wholly disingenuous allegation refers to an exemption for a small number of persistent chemicals that cannot be entirely removed except through time.

"This exemption is set out in the Water Framework Directive and is an issue facing countries across the EU as well."

He added: "The Government has a track record of voting for a serious, sensible and deliverable plan to tackle this issue, whilst others have misled the public by making wildly inaccurate claims."

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This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris

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