East Midlands residents back a ban on bonuses for CEOs at Severn Trent
Only one fifth of people in East midlands are confident that water company Severn Trent is using their money to improve their services.
Data released this week shows that 83 per cent of residents in the East Midlands support a ban on bonuses for CEOs who fail to adhere to minimum environmental standards and one-fifth are confident that the company, Severn Trent, is using their money to improve their services.
Politically, water quality is a key issue as 27 per cent of respondents in the East Midlands report that environmental issues will be their most important factor for voting and among these people, 79 per cent said they cared about water pollution the most.
The data has been collected by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) who have also planned a mass protest planned due to the state of river pollution. Which is due to take place on May 20 with a mass paddle-out protest against sewage pollution at Essex Bridge.
The aim is to bring an end to sewage discharge into UK bathing waters and a 90 per cent reduction in sewage discharges by 2030.
The UK Government and regulators have also come under fire, with almost two-thirds (64 per cent) saying the UK Government should be doing more to tackle sewage pollution. An even bigger proportion (79 per cent) think water company regulators need to do more to make sure water companies reduce sewage pollution.
Josh Harris, Head of Communications at Surfers Against Sewage, said: “Last year water companies paid out a combined £1 billion to their shareholders while dumping sewage into UK waterways almost 400,000 times.
“Water companies should not be allowed to profit from pollution, and our data shows that the public agrees, with a huge majority calling for an end to industry fat cats pocketing bonuses whilst failing to meet minimum environmental standards.”
He added: “Water companies are wreaking havoc on our precious rivers and seas, and we refuse to stay silent. Head to your nearest protest and make your voice heard.”
At least 12 protests will take place across the UK on May 20, at key locations to cover each water company catchment - SAS are also urging the public to sign their ‘Dirty Money’ petition, which demands an end to water companies profiting from pollution.
Severn Trent provides over eight million people across their region with fresh, clean drinking water every day and once done, clean it and treat it and return it safely to the environment, according to their website.
Speaking with Nottingham World, Gail Pickles, River Protection Lead at Severn Trent said: “We understand why people feel let down by water companies when it comes to rivers, we know what needs to be done to make it right and we’re doing it.
“We’re delivering an industry-leading plan that includes bold commitments, such as by 2030 our operations will cause no harm to rivers. In the first year of this plan, we’ve reduced our impact by a third, but we know there’s more to do, which is why we’re continuing to invest hundreds of millions of pounds into making rivers the healthiest they can be.”
SAS has also worked with Niall Jones - a Cornwall-based product designer and owner of Benthos Surf and creative agency Mr President to develop a surfboard to represent the extent of sewage pollution in UK seas and rivers.
Jones collected raw sewage from the sea and turned it into resin that soaked into the board, creating unexpected patterns and he also included two transparent windows on the top of the board that display the two litres of sewage water contained within
Data from water companies and the Environment Agency revealed that sewage was dumped into rivers and seas in England, Scotland and Wales just under 400,000 times in 2022.
Last year SAS found evidence of 143 ‘dry spills’ – sewage overflows that occurred when there had been no rain for two days.