Water bosses face jail over sewage cover-ups

Water company executives who cover up illegal sewage discharges could now face up to two years in prison, under new laws which came into force today.

The powers, introduced through the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, mark the toughest sanctions ever imposed on the water industry.

The move follows widespread concern about pollution incidents, including significant sewage spills impacting the River Dee and Gronant Beach in Flintshire.

Under the new rules, obstructing investigations by regulators such as the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales can now lead to custodial sentences. Previously, such offences could only be punished by fines, and few prosecutions were ever brought.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed MP said: “Bosses must face consequences if they commit crimes. There must be accountability. From today, there will be no more hiding places.”

The change follows criticism of water companies’ handling of pollution, with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water recently named by campaign group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) as having the highest number of sewage discharges of any UK water provider in 2024.

Welsh Water recorded 118,276 discharges, equivalent to one every five minutes.

Locally, the River Dee at Lower Dee Lane, which borders Flintshire, was listed among the top ten most affected locations in Wales, with 277 recorded sewage discharges. Gronant Beach, near Talacre, was also highlighted after a family fell ill following a swim, later linked to pollution.

Giles Bristow, Chief Executive of SAS, said: “The sheer lack of ambition shown by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to reduce pollution shows they have no shame over the catastrophic levels of sewage they are spewing into Wales’ beautiful coastline, rivers and lakes.”

Welsh Water defended its record, stating that Wales experiences some of the highest rainfall levels in the UK and that rural areas often rely on storm overflows to prevent flooding.

A spokesperson said: “Over the next five years, we’ll invest £2.5 billion on projects to improve the environment, including £889 million on storm overflows.”

The new law also bans water bosses from receiving bonuses if their companies fail to meet environmental standards.

Authorities will now be able to recover the costs of enforcement action from the polluters themselves.

Philip Duffy, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, said: “The tougher powers we have gained through this legislation will allow us to close the justice gap, deliver swifter enforcement action and ultimately deter illegal activity.”