Public will pay for storm overflow upgrades for years, says Water UK

Customers face higher bills after water companies promised the biggest upgrade to sewers ‘since the Victorian era’.

Water UK issued an apology for sewage pollution and promised a £10 billion investment in storm overflows to reduce pollution (Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Archive)

The public will have to pay towards upgrading storm overflows for up to a century after water companies apologised for polluting England’s rivers and promised change.

Ruth Kelly, chair of the trade body Water UK, said consumers will face “modest upward pressure” on bills while shareholders will make a £10 billion investment in the biggest modernisation of English sewers “since the Victorian era”.

Water UK wants to cut overflows by up to 140,000 each year by 2030, compared to the level in 2020, and it plans to publish a financial plan this summer.