Watch my contribution about the sewage crisis

Devon and Cornwall are, thanks to the negligence of South West Water, one of the epicentres of the sewage crisis in the UK.

It is shocking how contemptuous these firms are for the environment and their customers who enjoy the waters they repeatedly contaminate.

South West Water’s CEO recently said the environment was among her top priorities – but how can this be true when last year, in South Devon alone, we had over 49,000 hours’ worth of sewage leaks.

During our Opposition Day this week, the Liberal Democrats again called on the Government to act on this scandal. We proposed creating a new Blue Flag status for rivers and chalk streams, with measures to guarantee keeping any designated river clean and safe to swim in.

It was hugely disappointing that neither Labour nor Conservative MPs backed this motion.

The Liberal Democrats will keep standing up for swimmers, for our wildlife, and for bill payers – holding water companies to account for their environmental vandalism.

You can watch my contribution to the sewage debate below.