David Levy – Panorama BBC ONE TV – 12th April 2021
Having written to the Panorama Production Team awhile back about a follow-up programme to their successful programme screened over a decade ago about water discharges to rivers and seas, we were subjected to a Marmite event (see hyperlink above).
However despite flagging the issue up to Panorama, we were not contacted to make any relevant points.
The programme did disclose the extraordinarily frequent illegal discharging of untreated sewage, and also how little control there is. The Environment Agency refused to take part and it soon became clear why they avoided that nettle. Like a disk on replay the lady from Water UK (which represents the water industry) kept saying that the water companies would deal with any breaches in regulation. She appeared absurd, and then you came to the DEFRA Minister.
The Rt.Hon.Rebecca Pow MP assured us that she had called in the water companies and had given them a real finger wagging, however that has not resulted in any change of their behaviour or the level of illegality. As a member of the public, she appeared to me as a politician who is out of her depth and, worse, aiding and abetting a fraudulent and criminal industry.
The reason why Marinet can clearly state this opinion as accurate rests in the manner in which she shied away from the legally enforceable powers we proposed to her in Amendment 200 to the Environment Bill in the House of Commons at the Bill’s Committee Stage in November of last year.
If she had supported this amendment in November, then water companies would have to produce management plans for their discharges to the environment and they would be accountable to her for their outcomes.
She would have real powers to control what is currently out of control.
She declined. Unfortunately, due to virus regulations, we were not there to ask her: Why?
So from Marinet’s perspective, the Panorama programme has at least given the issue a brief airing of publicity, although its coverage was shallow in nature.
Let’s hope this will assist us as we now continue to fight for Amendment 200 in the House of Lords.
