Policy

My highest and by far the most significant local issue we face in not just Havant, but also in Hampshire and nationwide is the practice of water companies dumping raw sewage into water courses and our seas, and coastal protection.

Here in our constituency, Hayling Island Beachlands Central has earned a coveted Blue Flag award for over 30 years, but this prestigious award is under threat.  I wish to address these water issues as a priority:

1. The dumping of raw sewage into our seas and harbours.
2. Putting treated recycled human excrement into our drinking water.
3. The lack of signage on water quality on our beaches.
4. Langstone Mill Pond Sea Wall
5. Flood Prevention Schemes

Southern Water must be encouraged and compelled to improve water quality and taxation legislation needs updating to prevent water companies from diverting profits to Group companies when the cash ought to be used for investment and needed infrastructure.

I am utterly opposed to the proposal to treat recycled human excrement and put it into our drinking water.  We must have signage on our bathing beaches to indicate water quality and protection for our vital sea walls.

In 2016, when I was a councillor, I approached Southern Water about the pollution but had no support from the Tory-run Council.

Introduction

Please see below in this video an example of the issues we are facing.

Bedhampton Springs supplies clear clean potable water that is sufficient for the whole of Havant even in drought situations.  The Portsmouth Water Company has been able to supply this clear clean water not just to Havant and Portsmouth but to much of Hampshire and West Sussex

Southern Water is responsible for wastewater services for 4.6 million customers in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Consequently, residents in the Havant Constituency: will pay Portsmouth Water for the supply of clean pure drinking water, and will pay Southern Water for the efficient and safe discharge of all wastewater.

I have serious issues with the performance of Southern Water with its statutory duties, as I do not believe the company has either the motivation or desire to discharge its responsibilities and obligations promptly. 

The Conservative Party, including Alan Mak, opposes the strengthening of regulations to prevent these discharges.

Here we have another video showing the size of the pipe that releases raw sewage into Langstone Harbour causing pollution and sickness to residents and water sports enthusiasts.

The current status of raw sewage discharges is unacceptable, particularly since there is no commitment to end raw sewage discharges that affect the health of our residents and that of tourists. 

Havant Borough Council have valued tourism at £190 million while supporting 4,440 local jobs.

These issues are:

1.  The dumping of raw sewage into our seas and harbours.

Below are some examples of Southern Water's activities of dumping raw sewage into bathing waters are water courses.

• In 2021, Southern Water pleaded guilty and was fined £90 million for widespread pollution from 6,971 unpermitted raw sewage discharges.  The court was told Southern Water deliberately presented a misleading picture of compliance to the Environment Agency, hindering proper regulation of the company.  This fine was the largest ever imposed on a water company.
  
  
• In 2022 Southern Water spilled raw sewage into waters home to shellfish 4,041 times without recording the volume of those discharges.  Fishermen have been forced to catch shellfish further ashore to avoid the dead and dying shellfish in some parts of the country, including Langstone Harbour in Hampshire, to ensure their catch is not polluted.  Sewage pollution can raise the spectre of E.coli poisoning and norovirus for people eating contaminated shellfish.
  
  
• The Solent Water ecological status fails standards for polution because of high levels of arsenic, chromium, copper, iron, zinc and un-ionised ammonia, while at the same time being deficient in dissolved oxygen. 
  
  
•  We should recognise that sewage discharges contain circa 30,000 chemicals, pesticides, recreational drugs, prescription medications, and heavy metals.
  
  
• The long-sea outfall affects Hayling seafront a few tidal cycles after discharge, so even though discharges may have ceased, the water quality may still be unsafe for water enthusiasts.
  
  
• In the Harbour close to Budds Farm, the tested water in 2022 showed 380,000 cfu/100ml - the bathing water directive says anything over 500 cfu/100ml is POOR water quality!  Our waters were 760 times worse than acceptable.
  
  
• Under the Water Industry Act 1991, Southern Water is legally required to allow developers to connect to the public sewer.  Even Southern Water accepts that "Southern Water has a statutory duty under section 94 of the WIA 1991 to plan and implement any works that are necessary to ensure the network of sewers (and sewage treatment facilities) continue to operate satisfactorily......".  They should be compelled to do so.
  
  
• An examination of the 2023 full accounts of Southern Water Services Limited (Southern Water) shows they were loaded with over £2.4 billion of inter-company debt which grew to £4.2 billion by 2023 during which time over £3 billion of interest and debt indexation was paid on the loans.  This £3 billion could and should have been invested in the infrastructure that in my opinion could have prevented the pumping of raw sewage into our seas and water courses, but during this period some interest was paid to a Cayman Islands off-shore tax haven.
  
  
• Even in 2023, Southern Water continue their illegal discharges without serious consequences while Conservative MPs, including Alan Mak, MP for Havant, voted against proposals to strengthen regulations to prevent such discharges.

Proposed solution:

• A significant increase in the regulation to control and eliminate raw sewage discharges into seas and water courses with £1 million fines for each unauthorised discharge of raw sewage.
• Committed quantitative targets by year for raw sewage discharges to cease within five years.
• Legislation changes to disallow interest payable from corporation tax calculations and an immediate 10% tax in intra/intercompany loan balances to encourage equity investment.
• An agreed UV disinfection plan with implementation within five years.
• Investment in concrete water storage tanks to hold water.
• Moratorium or significantly reduced house building until sewage treatment infrastructure can safely handle existing sewage.

2.  Putting treated raw sewage into our drinking water.

Southern Water is proposing to build a Havant Thicket Reservoir, the first in the South East since the 1970s.  The purpose of this reservoir is to assist Southern Water domestic customers across the South East.  This reservoir is not needed for Portsmouth Water Company customers as there is an abundant supply of clean water from the Bedhampton Springs for those customers. 

The proposal includes the diversion of treated recycled human excrement (15,000,000 litres/day) into the proposed Havant Thicket reservoir for onward consumption by not just Portsmouth Water Company customers, but also Southern Water customers across the South East.

Southern Water has demonstrated that they cannot be trusted to adequately clean raw sewage before it is pumped into our bathing waters and harbours, and so I do not accept they can be trusted to adequately treat the same raw sewage before it is sent into pipes for consumption by consumers.

Southern Water has remitted over £3 billion in interest payments to group companies in the past 16 years.  Equity investments should have been made instead with the £3 billion invested in much-needed infrastructure, that has not taken place.

This proposal affords NO BENEFIT to Portsmouth Water Company customers in the Havant Area, and I absolutely oppose this proposal.

Proposed Solution

• Ideally, I would like the Havant Thicket Reservoir scheme canceled as it provides no benefit for Havant customers.
• If approved, Havant to stand alone and not take part in the Southern Water Havant Thicket Reservoir scheme for drinking water.
• If approved, no treated raw sewage to be pumped into the Havant Thicket reservoir until Southern Water ceases dumping the same treated raw sewage into the seas across the South East.

3.  The lack of signage on water quality on our beaches.

• In 2020, a 2,000-signature petition was presented to Havant Borough Council calling for electronic signage on Hayling Island Seafront advising bathers of the state of water quality.  Earlier five sewage outfalls were discharged into Langtone Harbour over 62 hours.  The Council claimed signage would not be practical and repeated the assertion from the Environment Agency "Discharges of this nature are storm wastewater, not untreated raw or unscreened sewage".  Please review the video at the top of this page; this looks like raw untreated sewage to me.
  
  
• Southern Water has implemented a BeachBuoy System, where the release of water into coastal bathing waters is recorded.   However, only around half of the Beachbuoy warnings are genuine, so this suggests that Southern Water have not invested in competent remote sensing equipment.
  
  
• There are 10 ways that raw sewage may kill those in contact with it, so not only should accurate and timely signage of water quality be available to inform seawater users, but it is incumbent on Havant Borough Council to ensure bathers are protected, especially since they significantly contribute to Council funds through car parking charges.

Proposed Solution

• A comprehensive and thorough independent review of the BeachBoy system and the recommendations promptly implemented.
• Some kind of traffic-light signage on the affected beaches to indicate the pollution status of that beach.
• Routine measurements of water quality close to the five sewage outlets in our local harbours.
• A complete study on the effect of long sea sewage pipe discharges on Hayling Island beaches.

4.  Langstone Mill Pond Sea Wall.

The Langstone Mill Pond Sea Wall is an ancient Victorian Sea Wall with historical significance that protects the Mill Pond while offering protection to those using the Havant to Emsworth coastal path, and one which I have cycled along myself.  Unfortunately, as is often the case, bureaucracy takes over with Natural England attempting to prevent repairs.  I believe this QUANGO (and all others) should be scrapped and their responsibilities subsumed into Government Departments with policy determined by elected politicians.

I support just getting the Langstone Mill Pond Sea Wall repaired, and if you agree with this proposal highlighted in the Portsmouth News , please consider signing this petition, which I have done so.  

5.  Flood Prevention Schemes.

Portsmouth and Southsea has had £180 million of investment in flood prevention by strengthening and raising sea walls.  In contrast Hayling Island, Langstone and Emsworth has had little funding.  To date, shingle is transported from West Hayling island Back to East Hayling island each year, for the very same shingle to me moved back by the waves,

The only real solution to flooding on Hayling island and Langstone is for hard concrete sea defences to be built.

To date, protection of Portsmouth has been seen as a priority because of the higher value of housing that is being protected.  

However, there are other assets, like tourism (valued by HBC at £180m PA) that have not been considered.

If elected, I would pursue proper effective flood protection for our Havant Constituency, with funding diverted from Foreign Aid to UK Aid as needed.