South West Water: Performance — [Sir George Howarth in the Chair]

The water industry is heavily regulated but regulators need to work effectively together. South West Water did not perform well, receiving a £13.3 million fine and only one star for environmental performance. The company spent 46% of its allowance on improvements, which raises questions about why there was such a low spend given the size of the problems. There is a need to understand whether the argument about underspend due to privatisation is justified and how investment can be put back.

He stated that it is incorrect to suggest that any Member of Parliament voted to allow sewage to flow into rivers or onto the coastline, emphasizing that recent legislation addresses this issue. Mangnall acknowledged the work of his colleague Simon Jupp and expressed disappointment with Richard Foord's lack of suggestions. He highlighted South West Water's successes but also its failures, particularly in meeting water supply interruption performance targets and having poor pollution incident performance. Mangnall noted the need for meaningful action to address these issues and suggested that fines should be clear and swift in implementation to ensure they are used effectively. He also mentioned his local initiatives to enhance public understanding of water quality improvements. Asked the Government to show that £56 billion of investment from water companies is adequate, highlighting South West Water's performance issues and questioning if fines are transparently communicated.

My hon. Friend highlighted that increased monitoring has brought attention to sewage discharge issues which have been ongoing for decades.

The MP highlighted numerous complaints from constituents about South West Water's poor performance, including sewage pollution in rivers and on beaches, disruption due to burst water pipes, high bills with CEO bonuses and shareholder dividends despite underperforming maintenance budgets. He criticised the company for failing basic functions while increasing charges and called for stronger regulation. Intervened multiple times, questioning figures such as over 350,000 hours of dumping in South West Water's areas, including onto prestigious blue-flag beaches.

Critiqued the Government's inaction on sewage discharges, poor water quality, leaks, and investment shortfalls. Emphasised South West Water's worst performance rating from regulators and called for immediate action to improve infrastructure.