MP says Goverment's rules on water polluters will help to clean up rivers

Mr Dunne a campaigner for better quality river water and chair of the Environmental Audit Select Committee spoke as the House of Lords prepared to block Government plans to ditch Bathing Water Regulations and the Water Framework Directive as part of legislation to remove thousands of EU laws from the British statue.

The Retained EU Law Bill is making its way through parliament.

A Lords' amendment has been tabled to ensure the two clean water regulations, which were introduced by Brussels when the UK was still an EU member, are exempt from the cull of European laws.

Philip Dunne MP said: "Enforcing the polluters' pay principle will be a crucial component to cleaning up our rivers. If water companies know they'll be hit by a heavy fine for illegally polluting, they'll change their practices and invest to avoid breaking the law.

"This Conservative government is already imposing record fines on illegally polluting water companies, but lifting the cap on civil offence fines will reinforce the message.

"I am pleased the government has already committed to investing the fines paid on environmental improvements to restore our rivers, as I called for with other Conservative Environment Network MPs. It will be important to balance the level of fines so as to impress on water companies the severity of the issue, while maintaining their access to capital to invest in upgrading our Victorian sewers.”

Should the Government be defeated in the Lords, ministers would have to seek to overturn it in the Commons.

Liberal Democrat Peer Baroness Bakewell, who tabled the amendments, said: “The Conservative Government’s decision to scrap these regulations will create a sewage dumpers’ charter. This is short-sighted politics at its worst, putting political posturing above the well-being of our rivers, lakes and swimmers.