Liz Truss has been accused of presiding over funds cuts to the Environment Agency which have resulted in “doubled sewage discharge”.
Labour Party evaluation of official figures reveals that since 2016, when the Tory management hopeful was answerable for Defra – uncooked sewage discharge greater than doubled from 14.7 per overflow in 2016 to 29.3 in 2021.
This coincided together with her chopping £80m of sewage screens as a part of a £235m Tory axe to the Environment Agency’s (EA) funds, which she branded “efficiency savings”.
As Environment Secretary, Ms Truss justified the cuts saying “there are ways we can make savings as a department” citing higher use of expertise and inter-agency working.
However, shadow atmosphere secretary Jim McMahon stated: “Under the Tories, the nation is going through a disaster in our water provide. Our water infrastructure is at bursting level, with billions of litres of water being wasted day-after-day and uncooked sewage being dumped into our waters.
“The fact that Liz Truss was the one to cut the EA so severely, not only demonstrates her lack of foresight but also her lack of care for the detail, in recognising the need to adapt to the serious flooding that had just happened on her watch.
“Labour will tackle the challenges in our water provide system by strengthening regulation and making certain that bosses of water firms are held to account legally and financially for his or her negligence.”
A senior advisor for the Environment Agency instructed the Guardian concerning the cuts: “They plummeted to the point it was impossible for the Environment Agency to know what’s going on.
“They had no management or monitoring functionality that was significant.
“They ceded the control of monitoring to water companies, which ended up being able to mark their own homework. They take their own samples and assess whether they are being compliant.”
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The Labour evaluation comes as dozens of air pollution warnings had been issued for seashores and swimming spots in England and Wales following heavy rain that overwhelmed the sewage system.
On Monday, Number 10 stated it was the obligation of companies to place prospects earlier than shareholders, with a spokeswoman saying: “We have been clear that the failure of water companies to adequately reduce sewage discharges is completely unacceptable.
“They have an obligation to place their prospects earlier than shareholders and we’d anticipate them to take pressing motion on this concern or face fines.”
Source: information.sky.com”