Opperman voted to block the Sewage Discharge Bill
This evening the Conservative Hexham MP Guy Opperman has voted to support the PM’s amendment to Labour’s Jim McMahon’s (Shadow Secretary for the Environment) Water Quality (Sewage Discharge) Bill. This Bill would have cracked down on the polluting water companies flooding our rivers and beaches with sewage but has been rendered toothless by Tory actions.
This is a new low for Opperman and Conservative MPs who simply do not care about our precious environment and waterways that are being polluted and damaged by the sewage crisis.
Conservative MPs will have to explain to their constituents why they resorted to underhand tricks to block Labour’s plans to end the Sewage Scandal.
Labour voted to end sewage dumping in Britain’s waters. Tory MPs voted to give it the green light.
A growing public health problem
Professor Chris Whitty, speaking in 2022, described sewage in our rivers as a ‘growing public health problem‘:
“Use of our rivers for recreation and exercise is something to celebrate and encourage. Children have always played in waterways and always will, irrespective of what notices are put up next to them. People of all ages use freshwater waterways such as rivers for recreation including swimming and various forms of boating. During lockdown many people took to swimming in rivers and have continued since. Our rivers, seas and waterways should therefore be free from sewage to reduce risk to the public. There are 2 major issues to tackle. Both have solutions.
The first is raw sewage discharge from the sewage network and in particular storm overflows…
The second major issue is coliforms from the continuous normal discharge from sewage works. Whilst raw sewage is not discharged into waterways from these, viable bacteria and viruses are, as part of normal operations”
Virus, parasites and bacteria, including Adenoviruses, Norovirus, Rotavirus, Salmoella, E. Coli and Listeria, can all lurk in sewage contaminated water. Sewage water can also have a devastating impact on the aquatic life and the natural environment. Last year a dog owner walking their pet on the riverside near Prudhoe discovered that their spaniel was taken seriously ill. The poor animal died and the owners believe the cause was raw sewage in the Tyne.
