UK water firms have apologised for dumping billions of litres of sewage and pledged to speculate £10bn to cut back waste outflows in an announcement that has been dismissed by environmental campaigners.

Commerce physique Water UK issued the apology for polluting rivers, lakes and coastal waters in England and Wales in an open letter on Thursday. “The message from the water and sewage business right now is evident: we’re sorry,” wrote Ruth Kelly, the previous Labour cupboard minister who’s now head of Water UK.

Nevertheless, campaigner Feargal Sharkey condemned the pledge as “vacuous” and “empty”. The previous pop star, who has grow to be a number one critic of sewage air pollution, mentioned the “£10bn doesn’t exist”.

The quantity nonetheless must be agreed by regulator Ofwat and could be borrowed by water firms and paid for by a rise in buyer payments.

Kelly argued that prospects have been keen to pay for the elevated funding however acknowledged that “extra ought to have been performed to deal with the difficulty of spillages sooner and the general public is correct to be upset in regards to the present high quality of our rivers and seashores”. She added: “We’ve got listened and have an unprecedented plan to begin to put it proper.”

The apology comes as water and sewage firms in England and Wales face the most important wave of public protests since privatisation 34 years in the past.

The regional water monopolies are accused of paying out billions of kilos of dividends and hefty pay packages for executives similtaneously tipping unknown portions of storm water and sewage into coastal waters and rivers.

“This downside can’t be mounted in a single day, however we’re decided to do all the pieces we will to remodel our rivers and seas in the way in which all of us wish to see,” Kelly wrote.

Labour condemned the water firms’ proposal for passing the invoice on to shoppers. Shadow surroundings secretary Jim McMahon advised Sky Information: “We are able to’t permit in a value of residing disaster for households to take the burden of that as a result of water firms nonetheless assume they’ll keep it up enterprise as standard.”

He criticised ministers for successfully “legalising” sewage spills, regardless of having the “levers of energy” to outlaw them as Labour has pledged to do.

Final week the chief executives of Yorkshire Water, Thames Water and South West Water declined their bonuses in an acknowledgment of the general public anger over sewage air pollution.

A few fifth of handled water throughout the business is misplaced in leakage whereas simply 16 per cent of rivers, lakes and costal waters meet the minimal requirements for “good” ecological standing, in response to official figures.

Sharkey advised the BBC that prospects needs to be demanding a £10bn rebate from water firms as they have been suggesting we “pay them now for a service we should not have”.

“What’s lacking is the apology for the £72bn paid in dividends since privatisation and the £1.4bn in dividends final yr,” he added.

Sharkey additionally questioned how the £10bn associated to the £56bn that the federal government has mentioned could be wanted to enhance sewage outflows by 2050 or the £1.6bn that regulator Ofwat has agreed to convey ahead to spend on water infrastructure.

Water firms are already behind on spending targets. Solely three-fifths of the £2.2bn that water firms might have invested in wastewater infrastructure by 2025 has been spent up to now, Ofwat has mentioned.

Water firms are additionally dealing with authorized challenges from campaigners.

Ofwat mentioned: “We welcome the apology from water firms and this now must be became motion.”