Zöe Franklin demands Burnham overhauls broken water industry as Guildford sees 857 hours of sewage spills

Guildford MP Zöe Franklin has called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to make reforming the water industry one of his first priorities in office, after new analysis revealed the extent of sewage pollution affecting local waterways.

The figures show that Thames Water discharged sewage into waterways across the Guildford constituency for 857 hours last year across 83 separate spills, raising fresh concerns about the state of local rivers and the performance of water companies. And at a time when the company is reporting post-tax profit of £113m for the 12 months to the end of March (compare with a £1.51bn post-tax loss the previous year) having hiked water bills by 40%.

For many residents, the River Wey is at the heart of the local community. It should be a clean and thriving waterway enjoyed by walkers, rowers, kayakers, paddleboarders and wildlife alike. Instead, repeated sewage discharges have left many residents frustrated and concerned about the impact on the environment and public health.

Following years of environmental failures, rising bills and financial mismanagement within the water industry, the Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to replace the current privatised model with customer-owned mutual companies that operate in the interests of customers and the environment rather than shareholders.

The Liberal Democrats are urging the Prime Minister to:

• Put water companies into special administration immediately, permanently restructuring the company as a mutual run for the benefit of its customers.
• Transition all existing water companies into public-benefit mutuals, owned by the people rather than the state, ensuring they are run for public health and the environment instead of private profit.
• Abolish the toothless regulator Ofwat and replace it with a powerful new Clean Water Authority with statutory powers to enforce strict environmental standards and crack down on repeat offenders in Guildford and across the country.
• End the Great Sewage Cover-Up by forcing water companies to report the volume, not just the duration, of sewage spills.
• Implement an immediate, legally binding ban on all water company executive bonuses, free from loopholes.
• Ensure full accountability by recusing Number 10 advisor James Purnell from any involvement in decisions regarding Thames Water, given his previous work for a firm advising private utilities and major investors.

Zöe Franklin, Liberal Democrat MP for Guildford, said:

"People across Guildford are rightly furious that sewage continues to be pumped into our local waterways while Thames Water's finances remain in disarray and customers face ever-higher bills.

“The River Wey should be one of our area's greatest assets. It ought to be a place where residents can enjoy being on the water and where wildlife can thrive. Instead, repeated sewage spills are damaging the environment and undermining public confidence in the system.

“It is an insult to local residents that water companies have been allowed to get away with this for so long while executives and investors have continued to benefit.

“Andy Burnham has a clear choice: stand up for communities like ours and deliver the fundamental reform the water industry desperately needs, or allow the same broken system to continue.

“We need a clean break from the failed privatisation model. Water companies should be run in the interests of customers and the environment, not shareholders, and communities like Guildford deserve nothing less.”