Lib Dems condemn continued pollution of Lincolnshire river

As the the environmental damage caused by pollution to our local rivers and coastline becomes clearer, Lincoln’s Lib Dems are calling for action.

This comes as a Lincolnshire agriculture firm has been fined £510,000 after polluting Lincoln’s River Witham, resulting in the death of 135,000 fish. According to the Environment Agency, around ‘3 million litres’ of liquid fertiliser leaked into the River Witham near Bardney in 2018 - one of the county’s worst environmental incidents. Omex Agriculture Ltd admitted causing the leak, which polluted a 28-mile stretch to The Wash at Boston.

In a seperate incident, this April Anglian Water received the largest ever Environment Agency fine for environmental offences in the East
Region. The fine imposed totalled £2,666,690 - and the fine will be paid from Anglian Water’s operating profits.

Local campaigner James Brown commented: “Water companies pumped sewage into our rivers and seas more than 1 million times over the past three years.The Conservatives are letting them get away with it and want taxpayers to pay to fix the problem. Water companies need to clean up their own mess and stop dumping sewage in our water"

“It's time for sewage tax on £2.2 billion water company annual profits, a ban on water company executive bonuses, and it's time for the Government to start dealing with this issue properly.”