Defra keeps up water ‘crackdown’ messaging with criminal investigation surge

Defra and the Environment Agency last week publicly trumpeted their crackdown on water company pollutions, issuing a press release citing that this administration has taken "the largest criminal action against water companies in history”.

Specifically, they said 81 criminal investigations had been launched since the election, “a surge of 145%” following a record number of Environment Agency spot checks at water company premises and rivers. Seven cases are due in court over the next few months.

This is in addition to the Agency’s largest ever criminal investigation into potential widespread non-compliance by water companies at over 2,000 sewage treatment works.