The UK government plans to introduce a law that would penalize water company executives with prison time and bonus cuts if they fail to tackle pollution in rivers and seas.
In short:
- The new bill will allow prison sentences of up to two years for water company bosses who obstruct pollution investigations.
- Regulators will gain powers to stop bonus payments for executives who fail to meet environmental and financial standards.
- Critics argue the bill does not address deeper systemic issues and is insufficient to resolve ongoing sewage spills.
Key quote:
“Finally after years of denial over the whole scandal of the pollution of our rivers lakes and seas we’ve got a government of the day acknowledging the scale of the problem.”
— Charles Watson, chair of River Action
Why this matters:
England's waterways are polluted by frequent sewage spills due to underinvestment in infrastructure. Stronger regulation could pressure companies, but critics doubt it will lead to meaningful change.
Related: England declines EU's new water pollution standards
