TIM Farron has called on Conservative MPs to ‘apologise’ for not listening to constituents in the first place, after the Government made a U-turn on its decision not to put legal controls on water firms pumping sewage into rivers.

The MP spoke out after the Government said it would now include an amendment to the Environment Bill that will see a ‘duty enshrined in law’ that requires water companies to show a reduction in storm overflows over the next five years.

Last week, the amendment to the Environment Bill was rejected in the Commons, causing huge anger from environmental experts and the public.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said: "Earlier this summer, the Government published a new strategic policy priorities for Ofwat and the water sector asking them to significantly reduce the discharge of sewage from storm overflows in the next pricing review.

"Following a debate in the House of Commons last week during the final stages of the Environment Bill, today we are announcing that we will put that commitment on a statutory footing with a new clause."

During periods of heavy rain or storms, wastewater is released into rivers and coastal areas to prevent sewers from becoming overloaded.

However, as climate change causes greater rainfall, and the population continues to grow, the UK’s Victorian sewerage system is now ill equipped to keep pace and as a result water companies are resorting to sewage out falls more frequently, say the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

The Environment Agency  said there were 403,171 spills of sewage into England’s rivers and seas in 2020.

One instance of this in South Lakeland, according to a map created by the Rivers Trust, which maps where sewage has been released, was at Ambleside Waste Management Plant where sewage entered Windermere 100 times for a total of 1,719 hours last year.

United Utilities said it supported the amendment and that it had invested more than £1.2billion improving storm overflows to reduce the amount of spills and urged the Government to create further protective legislation.

“We support the Government amendment which would require water companies to secure a “progressive reduction” in the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows,” a spokesman said.

“The public sewer system has too long been the catch-all last defence for managing surface water in our communities.

“We stand ready to invest further to help bring about the environmental transformation we all want to see. But for this investment, we’re calling on Government and Ofwat to match our ambition at the next price review.

“We’re asking government to bring forward legislation in a new Rivers Act to provide greater protection for rivers."

South Cumbria Rivers Trust (SCRT) welcomed the news but said more needed to be done to tackle phosphates entering waterways from private septic tanks.

Peter Evoy, SCRT director, said: “South Cumbria Rivers Trust welcomes this and all other measures that contribute to the urgent need to effect significant water quality improvements for our nations impoverished rivers.

“However, there remains an equally urgent but local imperative to do much more to protect Cumbria’s rivers and lakes from long term and increasing phosphate pollution. Phosphates enter the water environment via the treated effluent of wastewater treatment works and those of private septic tanks. Agriculture also makes a significant contribution via run-off into the water environment.

“Outputs from these sources is driving algal blooms which can create serious water quality deterioration and negatively affect plants and animals."

Commenting after the decision, Mr Farron said Conservative MPs were ‘arrogant’ to have ignored their constituents in the first place.

"Conservative MPs owe their constituents an apology. The arrogance and tunnel vision shown by Conservative MPs in recent days has been appalling. 

"Instead of listening to concerned residents, experts and environmental groups, we have witnessed Conservative MPs arrogantly plough on with supporting a law they knew would do nothing to protect our treasured lakes and rivers.

"Our local environments need urgent action and legislation with real teeth."

Meanwhile MP for Barrow and Furness, Simon Fell, who voted against the amendment, said the clause would lead to safer and cleaner waters.

“Alongside the other measures in the Environment Bill, which I was very happy to support earlier this week, there is now a package of measures in place to drive down the use of storm overflows and ensure that where water companies abuse the system, they will be hit by significant fines.

“This will lead to them investing in modern infrastructure and playing a full part in keeping our rivers and water flows safe and clean.”