Bonuses for UK Water Company Executives on the Rise as Sewage Release Into Sea Continues: Report

Holidaymakers have already been urged to stay away from more than 50 beaches across England and Wales due to huge amounts of raw sewage being released into the sea by local water companies.

Although most of the water company executives in England failed to meet sewage pollution targets, their annual bonuses increased by 20% in 2021, an analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The research found that the 22 water company executives were paid £24.8 million, including £14.7 million in bonuses, benefits and incentives in 2021/2022.

The Independent reported that "this is tantamount to an average raise in executive pay of nearly £200,000, with the average bonus alone raising by £100,000."

The LIb Dems' analysis came after data obtained by the UK environmental campaign group Surfers Against Sewage showed that there has been sewage discharged into coastal waters at beaches in a whole array of counties across England.

These include Cornwall, Cumbria, Devon, Essex, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland and Sussex, where pollution warnings were put in place with medics cautioning that those who swim in polluted water may fall ill and suffer from skin infections.

Lib Dem environment spokesperson Tim Farron described the situation as “a national scandal”, adding that “these disgusting polluting habits have made beaches unsafe in the middle of the summer holidays and harmed precious British wildlife.”

He also said that “hosepipe bans could have been avoided this summer if these water company CEOs bothered to invest in their rusting pipes rather than stuffing profits in their pockets.”

According to Farron, “they are putting profit over the environment. Frankly, the whole thing stinks. […] This government is guilty by association for letting water companies get away with this.”

He apparently referred to the fact that Thames Water, the UK's largest water and wastewater services company, had announced a hosepipe ban in place on August 24 amid reports that the River Thames has reached its lowest level since 2005 because of "unprecedented weather conditions." The UK’s Environment Agency previously declared drought conditions in eight regions across the south and east of England.

As for Thames Water, it earlier came under fire after it was revealed that over 600 million liters of water is lost every week by the company, mainly due to ageing pipes.

Richard Foord, Lib Dem MP for Tiverton and Honiton, for his part bemoaned the fact that beaches in his Devon constituency had been among those marked unsafe due to sewage.

“Local people and holidaymakers shouldn’t be forced to swim amidst human waste. Devon’s beaches are amongst the best in the world but the government is turning a blind eye while private companies ruin them,” he pointed out.

The remarks came after the UK’s Environment Agency said in a report last month that water company bosses should face jail for failing to cope with pollution-related challenges, slamming the sector’s performance in 2021 as the “worst we have seen for years.”

In the latest development, the agency warned of possible risk of surface water floods which could be caused by sudden heavy rain, something that the environmental body said “reinforces the need for robust action from water companies to reduce discharges from storm overflows.”