Demonstrators wearing blue take part in March for Clean Water demanding the new government enforce the current law and deliver new legislation that will end all pollution, and restore rivers, waterways, seas and reservoirs to full health by 2030.

Environment secretary Steve Reed today announced a major shake-up of the water industry as Labour tries to finally get to grips with the sewage scandal.

He said Ofwat, the watchdog tasked with regulating the privatised water companies, would be scrapped after years of failure.

It will be replaced by a new “super regulator” to help the government achieve its target of cutting sewage pollution by half by 2030.

Reed said the new watchdog would “stand firmly on the side of customers, investors and the environment” as he also dismissed calls for the water industry to be brought back into public ownership.

The announcements came just days after new figures revealed that pollution incidents by water companies – such as the discharge of raw sewage into rivers – surged by 60% last year.

Reed said: “The problems are to do with governance and regulation, and we are fixing those problems so we can fix the problem of sewage pollution and unacceptable bill hikes in the fastest time possible.”

However, fresh polling released today by the More in Common........

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