Scrap Ofwat. We, the Lib Dems, want to completely overhaul the industry by scrapping the regulator Ofwat and turning water companies into “public benefit companies” that put the environment before profits. There is no hope of change from the Tories. In April 2024, Conservative and Labour MPs, including Anna Firth, voted to further weaken Ofwat’s powers to do something about the water companies. Here are the details.

Take the water companies to court. We hold the water companies accountable to the law. Charities and private individuals should have the power to take water companies to court for polluting our waterways and keep a proportion of any fine as a “bounty” for a successful prosecution. The Environment Agency can’t keep up with the industry’s rule-breaking; they are understaffed and underfunded.

Get the Tories out of power. We have to balance the protection of our environment with economic growth. They put growth above all else. It is not “growth” that benefits the people of the UK either. The Tories do not work for us. We can have clean rivers, fair water prices and infrastructure investment. Only about 120 miles east of Essex in the Netherlands, 100% of sewage is treated in line with EU legislation. In the UK it is what? We don’t even know! We need a government that works for us.