Anna Sabine MP welcomes EFRA chair to meet with Friends of the River Frome and Somerset Wildlife Trust
Anna Sabine MP welcomes EFRA chair to meet with Friends of the River Frome and Somerset Wildlife Trust
On Friday, Anna Sabine MP for Frome and East Somerset welcomed Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee (EFRA), Alistair Carmichael MP, to Frome to speak with Friends of the River Frome and Somerset Wildlife Trust and hear about concerns around pollution and biodiversity in our waterways.
Taking a walk down Willow Vale in Frome to see the River Frome by Rodden Meadow, a team from Friends of the River Frome (FoRF) and Somerset Wildlife Trust discussed with Anna and Alistair the issues they face with pollution and measures that need to be taken to help protect the waterways of Somerset. Highlighting the recent report done by FoRF on sewage spill hotspots along the river Frome which identified six hotspot locations where sewage treatment works had spilled sewage, into either the River Frome or its tributaries, they discussed the broad impact this can have on the local environment as well as the health of local residents.
As Chair of EFRA, Alistair is frequently called upon to hold DEFRA to account and the Lib Dems have been calling for improvements to water infrastructure and flood management plans through a proposed Nature Act which would aim to support natural habitats and improve water quality. There is also an important link between bringing together farming communities who are often positively embracing eco friendly practices but who need support from the Government to best implement these.
Anna, with several other Somerset Lib Dem MPs has today renewed calls for the Government to overhaul the water regulator OfWAT and give them real power to hold water companies to account for their pollution, in light of an announced £11m fine given to Wessex Water due to poor sewage management and waste water failures.
Anna said:
“Wessex Water has long been responsible for huge amounts of sewage polluting our waterways and whilst I welcome this financial punishment, that alone will not be enough to change decades of disregard and failures by Ofwat to hold water companies to account for the damage they do.
I was happy to join with my Lib Dem colleagues in calling again for an overhaul of the regulatory system for water and introduce blue flag protections for our rivers to protect the future of our water ways for future generations.”
The future of our rivers and waterways is a crucial element to the preservation of our ecosystem; providing a habitat for plants and animals alike that must be allowed to thrive. The discussion last Friday was welcomed by both Anna and Alistair to hear first hand from those tirelessly engaging in the monitoring of our rivers and look towards what more can be done.