Banbury MP welcomes new moves to clean up north Oxfordshire waterways

Mr Woodcock said he was sick and tired of the area’s waterways becoming more filthy and welcomed the Government’s launch of a new Independent Water Commission.

Today (Wednesday), the UK and Welsh Labour Governments launched the commission to review the water industry and ensure they can bring in regulations necessary to clean up our waterways.

It follows the publication of data that reveals record levels of sewage were pumped into Britain's rivers in 2023.

Mr Woodcock said: "The state of our local rivers and waterways is a disgrace. The Evenlode and Cherwell have never been more filthy and residents are sick and tired of it. After 14 years of the Conservatives failing to get a grip on polluting water companies, I am proud that Labour in government is taking urgent action to clean up this mess.

"Having already introduced tough new laws to hold water bosses criminally responsible for illegal sewage dumping, this new Independent Commission will help us take the necessary action to clean up our waterways for good."

The number of sewage discharges in the Banbury constituency skyrocketed by 131% to 770 sewage spills in 2023, compared to 333 in 2022.

That is an equivalent of 7,885 hours of sewage spilling into our waterways in 2023 - an increase of 188% since 2022.

A Labour official statement said: “This stinking, toxic legacy of the last Conservative government will not be tolerated by the new Labour government, voted in with an historic mandate to deliver the change this country needs. After 14 years of neglect under the Conservatives, Britain's rivers, lakes and seas are in an unacceptably poor state.

“Since taking office, the Labour government has taken urgent action to crack down on polluting water companies, introducing major new legislation with powers to bring criminal charges against water bosses and ban bonuses.”

The Independent Water Commission will report back next year with recommendations to the Government on how to tackle the challenges involved, and those of the future, to restore the country’s rivers, lakes and seas to good health.

The recommendations will form the basis of further legislation to attract long-term investment and clean up Britain’s waters for good, a move Labour says will result in ‘injecting billions of pounds into the economy, speeding up delivery on infrastructure to support house building and addressing water scarcity’.

The Commission will be chaired by Jon Cunliffe, former Deputy Bank of England Governor, who has decades of economic and regulatory experience, Labour says.

Launching the review, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed said: “After years of neglect, our waterways are now in an unacceptable state and our water system urgently needs fixing. That is why today we have launched a Water Commission to attract the investment we need to clean up our waterways and speed up infrastructure delivery. Following the Commission’s conclusion, the Government will introduce ambitious legislation to restore confidence in the sector once and for all.”