Water bosses to face ban on bonuses – but move ‘too weak and feeble’, say Liberal Democrats
Bosses of water companies responsible for illegal sewage spills are to face a ban on their bonuses after years of campaigns and public outrage.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay announced payouts would be blocked to chiefs who oversee the polluting of rivers, lakes, and seas – starting with bonuses in the financial year starting this April.
It was revealed bosses received more than £26m in bonuses, benefits, and incentives over the last four years.
Analysis by the Labour Party found nine water chief executives were paid £10m in bonuses, £14m in incentives and £603,580 in benefits since 2019.
Senior executives from five of the 11 water companies that deal with sewage took bonuses last year, while the other six, including heads of Yorkshire Water and Thames Water, declined after public anger.
Steve Barclay announced the policy today. Pic: PA
There has been outrage around the illegal activity and calls by Labour and the Liberal Democrats to enforce the policy sooner, as water firms in England plan to hike customers’ bills by an extra £156 a year to invest in Britain’s Victorian infrastructure.
While Mr Barclay said he was “pleased” regular Ofwat was addressing bonuses following water companies’ poor performances, political opponents said the ban was “too weak and feeble”.
Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson and MP, Tim Farron, said: “Finally ministers have buckled to a campaign led by the Liberal Democrats over two years ago, but even now this attempt to ban bonuses sounds too weak and feeble.”
Mr Farron added the firms got away with “environmental vandalism” and called for the bonuses to be banned “today, regardless of criminal conviction”.
Tim Farron said the policy was ‘too weak and feeble’. Pic: PA
Ofwat will consult on details of the proposed ban later this year, including to define the criteria.
This could include successful prosecution for the two most serious categories of pollution – such as causing significant pollution at a bathing site or conservation area, or where a company has been found guilty of serious management failings – according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
It could apply to chief executives and all executive board members.
On the proposal, Mr Barclay said: “No one should profit from illegal behaviour and it’s time that water company bosses took responsibility for that.
“In cases where companies have committed criminal breaches there is no justification whatsoever for paying out bonuses. It needs to stop now.”
Labour claimed it was the spearhead for this change, with a statement from shadow environment secretary, Steve Reed MP, saying: “Once again Labour leads, the Conservatives follow.”
He called for the Tories to “back Labour’s plan” to clean up the rivers and prosecute executives responsible for illegal sewage dumping.
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Labour said that under its plans, Ofwat could have blocked six out of nine water bosses’ bonuses last year.
Last year, Thames Water – which supplies one in four people in Britain – was fined more than £3m after pleading guilty to illegally discharging waste.
This included “millions of litres” of undiluted sewage near Gatwick Airport in 2017, which turned the water “black” and killed more than 1,000 fish.
Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.
A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.
The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.
Pic: LNP
They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.
A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.
Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.
There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
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Pic: LNP
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.
“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”
The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.
The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
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