Agenda item

Councillor Cox presented his motion on notice. Councillor Carter seconded the motion.

Councillor Jacobs proposed the following amendment:

Amend the motion as follows:

•         Replace: Whilst there are long term commitments, there are no plans in place which will address the immediate unacceptable situation either locally by Thames Water or by national government.

•         With: “Whilst there are long term commitments, there are no plans in place which will address the immediate unacceptable situation locally by Thames Water”.

Members heard that the motion footnote referenced a 2020 Defra statement, noting that it was outdated. Members heard that claims that the national government had no plans to address the issue were incorrect, with the government had passing the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, increasing funding for the Environment Agency, allocating £3.1 billion for storm overflow improvements and launching a consultation on financial penalties for minor and moderate spills.

Councillor Clements seconded the amendment.

Members debated the amendment noting that the evidence relied upon had been uncertain but did not affect the resolutions and it was unknown if there was any national government intervention to address the Thames Water’s crisis in the local area.

An insight was shared from a Gilston community forum, where it was noted sewage was discharged into rivers due to the legality of doing so during heavy rainfall. It was considered that national government had contributed to the problem by failing to legislate against such discharges and by not upgrading the sewer infrastructure.

Having been proposed and seconded, the amendment was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared LOST.

Members further debated the original motion.

Members acknowledged that the motion concluded with a declaration of support for River Action’s Charter for Rivers and welcomed East Herts District Council’s support.

Councillors expressed support for the motion to protect rivers, particularly the vulnerable chalk streams in East Herts, noting any action taken locally or through national government would be beneficial.

The substantive motion having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that East Herts District Council notes that:

•         Local residents are deeply concerned about water quality and the impact of regular wastewater discharge, which includes untreated sewage, into our rivers and the impact on wildlife and on human health.

•         Thames Water released sewage into the River Lee and its tributaries 1,060 times in 2023.

•         Environment Agency figures reveal wastewater from toilets, sinks and drains spilt out of storm overflows into the waterway for an equivalent 11,501.7 hours last year.

•         This figure is almost double the previous year (2022) when the number of spill hours stood at 5,891.3.

•         At Cottered in Buntingford, Hertfordshire, sewage spilled into River Beane for 2222.25 hours in 2023. Discharge hours at Cottered have more than doubled on 2022, when the total number of spill hours was 1,010.

Releasing sewage into rivers is no longer an emergency-only situation occurring as a result of severe storms, but an everyday occurrence even in ‘normal’ rainfall, and that we are in a situation of cumulative overload on the sewage and wastewater system.

Not one of the rivers in East Herts District is classed as ‘Good’ for Ecological or Chemical Status under the Water Framework Directive. The UK has the dirtiest rivers in Europe.

Affected local wildlife habitats include the Lee Valley Ramsar Sites, Special Protection Areas, and SSSIs, especially Hunsdon and Eastwick Meads.

Whilst there are long term commitments, there are no plans in place which will address the immediate unacceptable situation either locally by Thames Water or by national government.

Additionally, there is no clear statement of position by the Environment Agency, who has overall responsibility, to clarify the cumulative impact of sewage overload our wildlife and habitats. In Cambridgeshire it has issued position statements on the separate but related area of water neutrality which have directly led to a pause in development; why not sewage overload?

Both local and national planning policy requires a robust approach to both water quality and pollution and a recent legal opinion from the Environmental Law Firm suggests that cumulative impact should be considered. Thames Water does not currently provide information on cumulative impact to local planning authorities.

East Herts District Council resolves to:

1.          Recognise this Council’s obligation to protect its rivers in line with its local planning policy, and the National Planning Policy Framework.

2.          Recognise that there is clear evidence of deterioration of water quality due to cumulative impact of multiple sewage discharge events or ‘sewage overload’.

3.          Ensure the evidence base being compiled for the new District Plan fully assesses the cumulative impact of sewage discharge so that this is factored into decisions made in the new local plan, including the overall level of future development.

4.          Seek to better understand the cumulative impact of wastewater discharge including untreated sewage and misconnections on the district’s rivers, wildlife and the health of residents

5.          Continue to take a lead on addressing this issue, working constructively with other agencies.

6.          Write to the Environment Agency asking for a position statement in relation to East Herts District, which sets out its understanding of the cumulative impact of 1,060 + sewage discharges per annum into our rivers, or if it is not willing to so do, the reasons why.

7.          Ask Natural England when it plans to update its assessment of the Lee Valley Ramsar Sites, Special Protection Areas, and SSSIs, especially Hunsdon and Eastwick Meads.

8.          Ask the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to invite senior representatives from Thames Water, the Environment Agency and Natural England to attend an East Herts District Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting to answer questions on sewage discharge.

9.          Declare support for River Action’s Charter for Rivers.