Question follow-through · 124437

Sewage: Waste Disposal

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, since 27 March 2020, how many offences relating to discharge of sewage from a water company asset have the Environment Agency prosecuted.

answeredDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Tabled
10 Apr 2026
Target answer date
15 Apr 2026
Answer
15 Apr 2026 · 5 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

More questions by this MP on Environment and energy

Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.

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Recorded timeline

  1. 10 Apr 2026

    Question tabled

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, since 27 March 2020, how many offences relating to discharge of sewage from a water company asset have the Environment Agency prosecuted.

  2. 15 Apr 2026

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 15 Apr 2026

    Answer published

    An answer was published; the current text is shown with its later correction below.

  4. 21 Apr 2026

    Answer corrected

    Since 27 March 2020, there have been 37 completed prosecutions against Water and Sewerage Companies. A water quality prosecution is any criminal proceedings relating to a failure to properly manage water or sewage treatment.

Open official record

Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Water Companies: Prosecutions

16 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions the Environment Agency has completed against Water and Sewerage Companies for offences that have taken place since 27 March 2020.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Water Companies: Prosecutions

21 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April to Question 127788 on Water Companies: Prosecutions, of the 37 completed prosecutions against Water and Sewerage Companies since 27 March 2020, how m

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Thames Water

22 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the principal statutory duties are of Thames Water Utilities Limited's licence.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Water Companies: Prosecutions

27 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 128631 to Question 27 April 2026, if she will list the 37 prosecutions by the (a) name of the water and/or sewage company prosecuted, (b) date of prosecution,

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Water Companies: Prosecutions

27 Apr 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2026 to Question 128631, how many of the 5 prosecutions related to offences which took place after 27 March 2020 were for sewage discharge offences.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Water Companies: Standards

14 May 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's policy is on operator self-monitoring.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Water Companies: Insolvency

1 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her department has had with the ONS regarding the use of the Special Administration Regime in the water sector.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Water

1 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to designate bathing water status to the 2,487 recreationally-used freshwater sites identified by the Environment Agency which currently do not have such s

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Water Companies: Insolvency

4 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the NAO on the use of the Special Administration Regime in the water sector.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Water Companies: Regulation

9 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of the inclusion of Recommendation 46 of the Independent Water Commission in full in the Water White Paper.