Campaigners try to whip up sewage spill pressure on politicians

Despite the lack of attention on sewage and water issues in the election manifestos of the two leading parties, clean water activists are campaigning hard to keep the issue on the agenda ahead of next week’s general election.

Feargal Sharkey has been travelling the country supporting Labour candidates in his capacity as river campaigner and president of Labour’s Environment Campaign, SERA. This has been dubbed his #StoptheSh1tShow tour. Meanwhile, Surfers Against Sewage has also been on tour, taking its #EndSewagePollution campaign on an election road trip. A SAS bus has been stopping around the country to raise the profile of sewage pollution issues and hosting hustings.

A number of activist groups have produced manifestos or lists of demands for the next administration; some have also produced their own summaries of the various political manifesto pledges on sewage spills to inform their supporters how to vote – though most have shied away from championing a particular party.

Sewage discharges and pollutions have also continued to be covered frequently by the press.

While Labour is forecast to walk to an easy victory on 4 July, the Liberal Democrats’ focus on sewage issues may help it reap rewards at the polls. Bloomberg said the party could be set to win the highest number of seats ever, with sewage, Brexit and tactical voting against the Conservatives all factors contributing to this possibility.

Separately last week, Bloomberg reported that Labour’s shadow business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds said in a UK election business debate on Bloomberg TV that he “wouldn’t want to see a nationalisation” of Thames Water. He said a bailout should not fall on the public. However, Cat Hobbs, director of public ownership champion We Own It, said: “Jonathan Reynolds’ position puts taxpayers and bill payers at financial risk — and throws the environment under the bus. New Labour showed us with Railtrack how to protect the taxpayer when an essential public service goes bust. We call on Starmer’s Labour to do the same with Thames Water.”