Environment secretary pledges to cut sewage pollution from water companies in half by 2030

The environment secretary has pledged to halve sewage pollution from water companies by 2030.

The target - which is compared to 2024 levels - is to be announced by Steve Reed on Sunday morning - when the Labour minister is also set to appear on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips.

The government says it is the first time ministers have set a clear target to reduce sewage pollution.

The target is part of the government's efforts to respond to record sewage spills and rising water bills.

Ministers are also aiming to cut phosphorus - which causes harmful algae blooms - in half by 2028.

Mr Reed said families had watched rivers, coastlines and lakes "suffer from record levels of pollution".

"My pledge to you: the government will halve sewage pollution from water companies by the end of the decade," he added.

The announcement comes ahead of the publication of the Independent Water Commission's landmark review into the sector on Monday morning.

The commission was established by the UK and Welsh governments as part of their joint response to failures in the industry, but ministers have already said they'll stop short of nationalising water companies.

On Friday, the Environment Agency published data which showed serious pollution incidents caused by water firms increased by 60% in England last year, compared with 2023.

Meanwhile, the watchdog has received a record £189m to support hundreds of enforcement officers for inspections and prosecutions.

"One of the largest infrastructure projects in England's history will clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good," Mr Reed said.

But the Conservatives have accused the Labour government of having so far "simply copied previous Conservative government policy".

"Labour's water plans must also include credible proposals to improve the water system's resilience to droughts, without placing an additional burden on bill payers and taxpayers," shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins added.

The Rivers Trust says sewage and wastewater discharges have taken place over the weekend, amid thunderstorms in parts of the UK.

Discharges take place to prevent the system from becoming overwhelmed, with storm overflows used to release extra wastewater and rainwater into rivers and seas.

Water company Southern Water said storm releases are part of the way sewage and drainage systems across the world protect homes, schools and hospitals from flooding.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed is due to appear on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips at 8.30am on Sky News.

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