Multi-million-pound plans to upgrade East Devon sewage systems, as shocking data on overflows revealed

Multi-million-pound plans to upgrade East Devon's sewage system has been announced by the Water Minister, Rebecca Pow MP.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has asked water companies to accelerate investments between now and 2025 to tackle storm overflow discharges, reduce nutrient pollution from treatment works, and address water resilience challenges.

The investment in East Devon will upgrade sewer overflows in Sidmouth and Tipton St John, alongside work to support nutrient neutrality in Axminster.

The £70million to be spent in Sidmouth and Falmouth will see combined sewer overflows upgraded at The Ham, Fortescue Road and Manstone Road that flow into the River Sid and Tipton St John's combined sewer overflow upgraded that flows into the River Otter.

Regulator Ofwat says this investment must ensure compliance with bathing water quality standards, shellfish water standards, and meet the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan spill targets.

Work to reduce nutrient pollution and support nutrient neutrality at Axminster Kilmington waste water treatment works has also been announced. 

By no later than March 2025, the site should comply with phosphorus nutrient pollution standards.

The new investment across East Devon follows a recent debate held in parliament by East Devon MP, Simon Jupp, who called on South West Water to invest in the area and modernise their water infrastructure.

Mr Jupp was among Conservative MPs to be heavily criticised in 2021, when they voted to remove seven lines from an amendment to the Environment Bill, put forward by the House of Lords, which suggested putting a new legal duty on water firms to "take all reasonable steps to ensure untreated sewage is not discharged from storm overflows".

However, he said that the Conservative government's Environment Act and Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan ensures water companies will face strict limits on when they can use storm overflows, forcing water companies to embark on significant programme of investment in order to hit stringent new water quality targets.

Mr Jupp commented: "I have repeatedly called on South West Water to invest in East Devon. I'm really pleased they've listened to the case I have put forward on the floor of parliament and in cross-party meetings with local councils. 

"We pay the highest sewerage bills in the country and this new multi-million-pound investment is much needed to upgrade our water infrastructure in Sidmouth and reduce nutrient pollution in Axminster. 

"South West Water must continue to invest locally to clean up their act and our water."

Water companies could face unlimited find for dumping sewage

The government has also announced this week that water companies could face unlimited fines for dumping sewage under government plans due to be unveiled in the coming days.

Ministers want to lift a penalty cap of £250,000 for companied that release sewage into rivers and the sea, with South West Water listed among the worst offenders. In 2022, South West Water's sewage discharges amounted to 290,271 hours – the second highest in England.

The government is expected to shortly announce plans to "make polluters pay", addressing all sources of pollution, including plastics and chemicals used in farming.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said she would "be making sure that money from higher fines and penalties – taken from water company profits, not customers – is channelled directly back into rivers, lakes and streams where it is needed".

Money raised from penalties goes to the Treasury, but under new plans will go into a Water Restoration Fund run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Despite these announcements, the Liberal Democrats have criticised slow progress after new date from the Environment Agency revealed that water companies released raw sewage into rivers and seas in England for more than 1.75 million hours in 2022.

Sewage dumped on Devon's Blue Flag beaches

Analysis of the figures by the Liberal Democrats showed that sewage had been dumped onto England's premier Blue Flag beaches 1,504 times last year, lasting an astonishing 8,497 hours last year.  

Blue Flag status is an international mark of recognition that a beach is deemed safe and environmentally friendly. However, these new findings raise fears of water pollution for swimmers and wildlife.  

The worst incident on a mainland English Blue Flag beach was on Blackpool Sands in Devon, where sewage was discharged for a staggering 1,014 hours last year across 63 separate sewage dumps onto the beach.  

Four of the five most affected beaches were in Devon, including in Sidmouth and Exmouth, with South West Water being one of the worst performing water companies in the whole country – being awarded a one-star rating by the Environment Agency for water pollution. 

The Liberal Democrats are demanding an end to sewage discharges on Blue Flag beaches. The party is also calling for water company executive bonuses to be banned for any firm found to breach permits. 

Liberal Democrat analysis of Company House records finds water bosses paid themselves a staggering £24.8million, including £14.7 million in bonuses, benefits and incentives in 2021/2022. 

Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton & Honiton, Richard Foord, said: "Devon's beaches are being damaged by profiteering water companies, that are more focused on lining their shareholders' pockets that protecting our rivers and beaches. 

"South West Water is one of the worst performing water firms in the whole country and yet we're seeing our bills continue to rise. Several people have contacted me to tell me how ripped off they feel. 

"These negligent companies are being let off the hook by this Conservative Government, which had to be shamed into taking even the most limited action. It was only my amendment which stopped taxpayer-funded loans being given to these polluting firms, in the absence of plans to clear up the mess. 

"Conservative MPs across the West Country have also voted to allow 15 more years of sewage dumping in our rivers and onto our beaches, by setting a far-off deadline of 2038 for water companies to stop these spills. 

"Therese Coffey is coming up to the six month point in her job as Environment Secretary. In most workplaces, someone who was not managing during their probationary period would be let go. Her failure to take meaningful action on these water companies shows she simply doesn't care about our country's rivers and seas. 

"What is the point of an Environment Secretary who doesn't care about the environment? She should be put out her professional misery and be replaced by someone who actually understands just how damaging these sewage spills are to communities like ours. 

"Conservative MPs have shown time and again that they couldn't care less about our rivers and coastlines. This Government is as guilty as the water companies in allowing this national nature scandal and Liberal Democrats will continue to hold them to account."