Water Pollution

HC Deb 26 January 1996 vol 270 cc410-3W

Mr. Dobson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list(a) the date of infringement, (b) the date of prosecution, (c) the nature of the offence with special reference to pollution, water abstraction and water quality infringements and (d) any resultant convictions, for each prosecution against a water company by (i) the drinking water inspectorate and (ii) the National Rivers Authority for each year since water privatisation. [9510]

Mr. Gummer

[holding answer 15 January 1996]: The arrangements for privatisation introduced a much more comprehensive and effective regime ensuring that water undertakers and sewage undertakers adhere to the legal requirements and are subject to enforcement or prosecution if they do not do so. This system has given greatly enhanced protection of water consumers and the environment. The figures demonstrate that this is so.

When there is an infringement of a drinking water standard, the main weapon is enforcement to secure improvements to quality; prosecution is only available when the infringement is so serious that water unfit for human consumption has been supplied.

Between 1990 and 1994, the drinking water inspectorate, on my behalf, has initiated almost 2,000 enforcement actions against the water companies. Many of these resulted in the companies concerned taking action very quickly to rectify the infringement and the remainder, where action could not be completed quickly, resulted in the water companies concerned giving legally binding undertakings to take action by a specified date to improve drinking water quality.

Severn-Trent Water Ltd. pleaded guilty at Hereford Crown court on 24 April 1995 to three charges brought under section 70 of the Water Industry Act 1991 for the

Table 1: Water pollution offences—Infringement dates
Company	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995
North-west	—	3.7.90	19.5.91	4.10.91	27.8.91	31.8.93	23.11.94
			28.5.91	28.1.92	21.5.92	21.9.93
				21.9.92	27.4.92	11.1.94
				23.4.92	10.10.91	30.3.94
				13.8.92	5.2.93	30.11.93
					8.8.92	31.1.94
					11.5.93	8.7.93
					17.8.93	23.9.93
					3.7.93	9.3.94
					19.9.93	1.7.94
						8.8.94
						28.5.94
Southern	—	4.1.90	20.9.90	5.4.91	15.6.92	24.11.93	—
		7.11.90
		24.12.90
		7.11.90
South-west	—	20.5.90	—	1.8.91	—	—	—
				30.11.92
Wessex	—	3.6.90	—	23.6.91	29.6.92	21.4.94	—
		3.8.90		24.2.92	31.7.92
				8.6.92	18.2.93
Thames	—	8.3.90	13.11.90	1.7.91	1.5.92	3.11.93	24.7.94
		12.3.90	16.5.90	27.4.92	1.1.91	20.4.94
		7.6.90	30.7.90	5.7.92	6.5.93	11.5.94
			10.12.90	15.2.91	4.5.93	15.8.94
			30.1.91	13.2.92	5.7.93
			6.2.91		24.9.93
			2.7.91		21.6.93
Northumbrian	9.9.89	3.5.90	9.7 91	13.12.91	—	—	—
		7.5.90	30.7.91	22.5.92
		14.8.90
		22.9.90
Anglian	—	15.5.90	1.1.90	18.8.91	14.2.93	23.11.93	—
		23.3.90	20.2.91	29.7.91		21.12.93
		12.7.90	23.11.90	27.6.91
			26.11.90	22.8.91
			1.4.91	3.1.92
			13.5.91

offence of supplying water unfit for human consumption and was fined £45,000. The prosecution was brought by me following an investigation by the drinking water inspectorate into a serious drinking water contamination incident on or about 15 April 1994 affecting a large number of consumers in the Worcester area and beyond following pollution of the River Severn.

The number of prosecutions of the privatised water and sewerage companies by the National Rivers Authority for water pollution offences, their dates and the number of resulting convictions for each year since 1989–90 were set out in the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary to the Member for Truro (Mr. Taylor) on 18 December 1995, Official Report, columns 914–16.

The tables show the information on water pollution infringements, corresponding to that given previously on prosecutions and convictions, plus equivalent information for water abstractions.

Table 1: Water pollution offences—Infringement dates
Company	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995
Yorkshire	28.9.89	7.12.89	27.9.90	16.4.91	18.10.91	7.6.93	—
			25.10.90		24.11.92
			6.9.90		26.8.91
			14.5.90		26.8.91
			4.6.90		9.3.92
			23.10.91		20.8.92
					18.6.92
					28.7.92
					16.9.92
					18.11.92
					117.12.92
Severn Trent	—	2.2.90	5.10.90	11.5.92	27.5.92	26.8.93 and	16.8.94
		14.11.89	23.10.90	7.11.91 and	7.11.92	31.9.93	28.11.94
			27.9.90	3.5.92	10.2.93	13.10.94	8.7.94
			29.7.90		15.2.93	28.7.91	9.5.95
			14.2.91		20.9.93
			27.9.91
			25.3.91
Welsh	—	6.12.89	23.5.90	21.6.91	18.3.93	16.6.93	15.9.94
		13.12.89	10.11.90	7.6.91
		11.9.89	11.1.91	16.7.91
		23.9.89	14.9.90	28.8.91
		8.3.90	14.9.90	5.8.91
		28.8.90	6.12.90	3.9.92
			5.11.90	30.6.92
			31.1.91	23.2.92
			31.1.91	16.12.92
			31.1.91
			30.10.90
			28.9.90
			22.3.91
			3.6.91
			8.4.91

1. The infringement dates shown correspond to those for prosecutions given O.R. 18 December 1995, cols 914–916. Eg the first infringement date shown for North West in 1991–92 relates to the first prosecution date shown for that company and year.

¹Indicates that the date of infringement could not be determined from the available data.

Table 2: Water abstraction—Infringement dates
Company	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995
Southern	—	—	—	—	June 93	14.6.84 to 20.6.94	—
Anglian	—	14.8.90 and 15.8.90	—	—	—	—	—
Northumbrian	—	—	—	—	—	27 dates from 16.6.94 to 16.8.94	—
Severn Trent	—	—	29.11.91 to 1.12.91	—	—	—	—
			27.12.91 to 28.12.91

1. The prosecution dates relate to the earlier infringements shown for each company.

2. All prosecutions resulted in convictions.

Table 3: Water abstraction prosecution dates
Company	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995
Southern	—	—	—	—	30.11.93	24.11.94	—
Anglian	—	10.12.90	—	—	—	—	—
Northumbrian	—	—	—	—	—	—	10.5.95
Severn Trent	—	—	—	9.2.93	—	—	—

1. The prosecution dates relate to the earlier infringements shown for each company.

2. All prosecutions resulted in convictions.