29 Apr 2025
The MPs of St Albans and Harpenden are urging the Government to take urgent action to protect chalk streams and other rivers from filthy sewage dumping.
Daisy Cooper and Victoria Collins want to force water companies to maintain the quality, safety standards and role of such waterways in enriching biodiversity, including thorough compliance checks.
Daisy has secured a guarantee that Ministers will meet with her to discuss her new Chalk Streams (Sewerage Investment) Bill, which would require water companies to prioritise those pipe upgrades to combat sewage dumping in areas with chalk streams.
Speaking in Parliament, she said: “In my constituency, we have a very rare chalk stream, the River Ver. Thames Water says that many of the sewage spills happen because the pipes are old and porous. Part of the solution is to line them, but when Thames Water is lining pipes, it is not prioritising pipes that are close to rare chalk streams.”
Victoria has long been advocating for a Blue Flag status for precious chalk streams, including through her bill: the Rivers, Streams and Lakes (Protected Status) Bill, which is returning to Parliament on May 16.
The Markyate sewage works in her constituency has now had 3,000 hours of non-stop overflow, including sewage, which ends up in chalk streams: “The volume of sewage being dumped into the River Ver from Markyate shows just how desperately we need a protected status for such waterways. Throughout my time as an MP I’ve been pushing for this, and I’ll continue to do so.
“Water companies are, quite frankly, getting away with destroying precious waterways every day. It’s undeniable that we need stronger, firmer action to hold them to account.”
