Raw sewage is floating in our rivers and our seas, and the Conservative government is not only not lifting a finger to help it, is instead simply facilitating the water companies as the pollute our water, says Hitchin councillor Sam Collins.

I note with astonishment Hitchin MP Bim Afolami's claims to care about the rare chalk streams in our area, yet he voted to allow water companies to continue dumping sewage into those very water courses. 

I and the Lib Dems, locally and nationally are of course opposed to this, water companies need to clean up their own mess and stop dumping sewage in our rivers and lakes. A harsh sewage tax on their £2.2 billion annual profits could provide much needed funds to improve our sewage system and protect our rivers and lakes as a start. 

Of course it is not just the water companies polluting to boost profits, the Conservatives have entirely failed to invest in Britains water infrastructure." States Parliamentary Candidate Sam Collins.

The Hitchin & Harpenden Liberal Democrats are also calling on the Government to ban bonuses for Water Companies that dump sewage and miss targets on leaks. It has recently been revealed that water executives are being paid eye-watering bonuses, despite failing to fix leaking pipes ahead of this summer's drought.

England's water company bosses have awarded themselves almost £27 million in bonuses over the past two years, despite reports they allow a staggering 2.4 billion litres of water to be leaked every day.

Water companies have only promised to halve leaks by 2050 despite predictions of a rise in summer droughts as record temperatures continue to be broken. 

As the Hitchin & Harpenden parliamentary candidate I say the money should be going into fixing their leaking pipes instead. 

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It is outrageous that whilst thousands of people in Hitchin suffer from hosepipe bans, water company bosses reward themselves with these bonuses despite not even bothering to fix leaks. 

The worst part is, Ministers are just letting water firms get away with scandal after scandal and residents in our area are sick of it. These are the very same water companies which pollute our local rivers with disgusting sewage, harming animals and people swimming in them.

It is time someone stood up to these companies and demanded action. That should start with fixing these leaks, and then once and for all ending the sewage pumping into waterways.