The Environment Secretary says he is ‘taking a very strong stance’ after it was revealed thousands of hours’ worth of sewage is dumped into the River Lim.

Government data released earlier this year confirmed that South West Water had dumped 1,300 hours of sewage into the River Lim and Lyme Bay, 100 more than the previous year.

Speaking to the News about the issue, MP Steve Barclay, who heads up the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is ‘clear’ about holding water companies to account.

READ: Dorset’s River Lim ‘ecologically dead’ after sewage spills

He said: “I am taking a very strong stance, and I am clear we need to hold water companies to account on their regulatory commitments, that is why we have increased the number of inspections, so water companies are not marking their own homework.”

The senior minster was speaking on a whistle stop tour of west Dorset ahead of the spring show at Kingston Maurward last weekend.

Dorset Echo: Environment Secretary, Steve Barclay (R), was meeting farmer Harry Coutts and was accompanied by West Dorset MP Chris Loder (L)Environment Secretary, Steve Barclay (R), was meeting farmer Harry Coutts and was accompanied by West Dorset MP Chris Loder (L) (Image: Andy Jones)

Mr Barclay was meeting with farmers about food productivity, food security and the topic of flooding also came up.

However, the damage caused by water firms polluting the rivers was also a big concern for the Environment Secretary, who is determined to ensure Dorset’s rivers, like those up and down the country, are kept clean and healthy.

He added: “We have a fourfold increase in inspections, we have unlimited fines available, we are looking at how we ban bonuses for water bosses where there are serious criminal breaches - the Environment Agency has the biggest ever criminal prosecution under way.

“We are looking at what investment can be accelerated to deal with storm overflows."

South West Water was fined just over £2 million in April 2023 for 13 environmental offences, one of which was just over the Devon border in Kilmington.

The sewage spill there killed thousands of fish as the water became polluted in the River Axe.

A pollution alert had been issued as recently as the end of March for Lyme Regis and West Bay as sewage continues to be dumped along the Jurassic Coast.

As reported, South West Water was successful in its fast track application for £20 million funding to clean up the River Lim.

The funding will be available from 2025 after the application was made to the regulator Ofwat in October.

READ: Water companies to invest more than £180m to tackle sewage spills

This will improve all storm overflows connected to the River Lim by 2027 and part of its wider investment of £2.8 billion across the region.

This will include looking at ways to separate surface water from entering the sewer network and increasing storm storage solutions.

All storm overflows are now monitored across England meaning that data is available to see the scale of the problem, and allow it to be dealt with in a way that would not have been possible a decade ago.

READ: South West Water to host community roadshow in Lyme Regis

Mr Barclay continued: “Part of the reason we have this visibility is where as in 2010 only 7 per cent of storm overflows were being monitored, now we have 100 per cent percent are being monitored.

“That gives us much more transparency on the problem, which yes does cause challenges, but actually I think it is far better to have that transparency to see the scale of the problem, ensure the water companies are being held to account, but also work with other stakeholders that are important.

“Like farmers, for bigger grants for slurry management, putting in place buffer strips for example, and looking at run off from our roads.

“There are other things that contribute but we are very clear am very clear on holding the water companies to account."