In response to outrage over the discharge of raw sewage into rivers, a prospective MP has stated that Northumbrian Water (NWL) needs to be "completely reformed.".
Businesses in England apologized last month for taking too long to stop leaks and discharges.
The apology, according to Newcastle East Liberal Democrat candidate Mark Ridyard, was "too little, too late.".
Despite having the "lowest level of pollution" in the nation, according to NWL, it is "striving to do better.".
With the release of data from the advocacy group Surfers Against Sewage showing that there were 963 hours of discharges into bathing waters across the Northumbrian Water area in 2022, anger over the contamination of rivers and seas by untreated sewage has grown.
It affects the entire country. In England's rivers and seas in 2022, raw sewage was dumped for 1.75 million hours, or 825 times per day on average.
"Large-scale environmental damage," according to Mr. Ridyard, has persisted for years.
Environmental protection ought to be prioritized over enriching foreign investors and lavishly rewarding directors who perform poorly, he said.
"Unless the firm is completely and totally reformed from top to bottom, this apology means nothing. " .
Accounts for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, showed that it gave its Hong Kong-based owner, CK Infrastructure Holdings, an interim dividend of £58 point 2 million and a final dividend of £55 point 4 million, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Water companies in England issued a warning in May that costs for a $1.17 billion plan to address sewage spills would likely increase.
Scott Dickinson, the leader of the Northumberland Labour group, said last week that it was "outrageous" for households to be required to pay for modernization work while millions of pounds were distributed to shareholders.
The "lowest level of pollutions" in the nation, according to NWL, and the best performance rating from the Environmental Agency.
However, a spokesperson said, "We know we need to do more, so we are investing more than £80 million to reduce our use of storm overflows and upgrade our wastewater network.
To stop storm overflow spills and enhance the environment, we will invest an additional £1.17 billion between 2025 and 2030.
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