Sewage pollution

That this House expresses grave concern over the ongoing sewage pollution crisis in England, particularly in rural constituencies like West Dorset; notes with alarm that over 450,000 sewage spills were recorded across England in 2024, including almost 4,200 in West Dorset, resulting in over 48,000 hours of sewage discharges into local rivers and beaches; further notes that the River Lim, which exits at Lyme Regis, has been declared ecologically dead due to overwhelming pollution, and that in 2019 only 17% of the 24 monitored water bodies in West Dorset were classed as having good ecological status; recognises the severe repercussions of this crisis on tourism, a key economic driver in West Dorset and many other constituencies, with visitors and residents forced to rely on water quality alerts to safely access local waterways; condemns the lack of accountability among water companies, who collectively paid £1.4 billion in dividends in 2022 and £51 million in executive remuneration over 2020 and 2021, while failing to adequately invest in infrastructure to prevent sewage spills; calls on the Government to implement stronger financial penalties for water companies that fail to meet environmental standards, to ring-fence these fines for reinvestment in affected communities, and to prioritise infrastructure upgrades in neglected rural areas; and urges the Government to ensure transparency and accountability in the water industry and to work with local businesses and communities to mitigate the environmental and economic impacts of sewage pollution, securing the future of tourism-dependent economies and protecting the nation’s natural heritage.