Britain is swamped with raw sewage – polluters must be prosecuted not paid

There has been zero improvement in our river water quality since 2016. Higher fines are needed, and water bosses should be held to account, writes Jim McMahon

‘People are right to feel upset and let down at the state of our natural environment’ (iStock)

Making Britain a country to be proud of means that everyone should have a right to a high quality and cherished natural environment. The Tories haven’t just turned a blind eye, they have actively blocked our attempts to clean up the water industry.

Every year millions of tonnes of filthy raw sewage are discharged, last year alone a staggering 400,000 incidents affected almost every community in the country.

If you think this is something which affects our rivers, the sea, you might be shocked to discover the reality. Think about where you might walk, where your children or grandchild might play. It can affect many of those places, as I discovered when I checked my own constituency to find one playing field which had 26 incidents of raw sewage being discharged in just a single year.