IN HIS latest column for The Correspondent, Andrew Gwynne MP calls on the Government to be stronger on sewage spills into local waterways.
SHOCKING new data has revealed that in 2022, there were 1,088 sewage dumping events in the River Tame.
This equates to a new sewage spill every eight hours. Like many residents, these figures made me really angry.
The River Tame has been identified as one of the most polluted waterways in the world, a consequence of sewage, industrial and illegal chemical discharges.
I’ve been calling on the Government to tackle this issue for years. Local people aren’t asking for the world here, they just want a river free from sewage and industrial pollution.
While this fight for action continues, I’ve been really inspired by local efforts to improve our precious environment.
Recently, Friends of the Tame Valley and Mersey Rivers Trust partnered up to plant more than 500 water-suitable tree species along the River Tame embankment at Broomstair Farm.
This work is part of an effort to stop the current riverbank erosion taking place and was made possible by £30,000 of funding secured by the Mersey Rivers Trust, Environment Agency and United Utilities.
While UU and EA were important partners in this local initiative, I continue to make the case that they need to rapidly improve what goes into the River Tame itself.
That being said, it was incredibly inspiring to countless local volunteers joining the tree planting effort, which was a real success and will have long-lasting benefits to the local environment.
We are incredibly fortunate to have such a precious green space right on our doorstep in the form of the Tame Valley and the River Tame itself.
We have a duty to pass on this resource to future generations in a better state than when we received it.
That is a core principle that powers groups like Friends of the Tame Valley and the Mersey Rivers Trust.
So, make no mistake, things need to change in how the Government manages our local waterways.
We need to see automatic fines, a clampdown on failing water bosses and an end to systemic water discharges.
Sewage discharge has doubled since 2016 and I want to see robust action to reverse that.
While I continue to make the case for this in Parliament, I do so safe in the knowledge that local volunteers are making a positive difference day-in-day out.
My message to the Government is clear – let’s match that effort nationally.