A senior Green Party councillor in Shrewsbury has called for water companies to be urgently renationalised after publication of a devastating report.

A senior Green Party councillor in Shrewsbury has called for water companies to be urgently renationalised after a devastating report showed that ‘forever chemicals’ linked to cancer have been found in drinking water sources at levels that are a potential danger to human health.

The report from Watershed Investigations and the BBC showed that the Drinking Water Inspectorate had ordered water companies including Severn Trent Water to take urgent action after cancer-linked manmade Pfas chemicals were found in untreated water at hundreds of water treatment works, reservoirs, boreholes and supply systems across the UK. Some of the enforcement notices issued to water companies flagged up ‘inadequate treatment process to remove Pfas’.

Councillor Julian Dean, leader of the Shropshire Green and Progressive Independents group on Shropshire Council, says:

‘Today’s report shows that the water industry is not only risking the health of rivers, but also of its customers. Not content with dumping sewage into our waterways, we now learn that water companies are failing to keep drinking water supplies safe from cancer-causing chemicals due to inadequate investment. The Green Party is committed to bringing all water companies back into public ownership because we know this is the only way we can ensure that the industry is working for the public good. Polling shows that 82% of the public want nationalisation. People can see that the industry is broken and they are fed up with shareholders and water bosses pocketing huge sums while ordinary people suffer.’

Pfas are caused by pollution from chemical manufacturers, sewage treatment plants, airports, and factories. There are also concerns that sewage spread on farmland contains high levels which pollute soil and water. Experts have raised concerns that limits on Pfas in England are higher than in other countries, including Scotland and the EU. They have also warned that the cost of cleaning up these chemicals could cost £84bn a year across the EU and the UK over the next two decades.

Since coming into power, the Labour government carried out the largest review of the water sector since privatisation. However, the review started by ruling out exploring other ownership models, which has frustrated campaigners who believe that nationalisation is the key to ensuring proper investment in the industry’s infrastructure.

Says Councillor Dean:

‘People voted for change, but the Labour government hasn’t delivered it. Tinkering around the edges of the broken water industry won’t keep our rivers or ordinary people safe from harm, nor will it address the massive price hikes in people’s water bills. We need full nationalisation to ensure that the water industry works for customers, not multi-millionaire bosses and foreign investors. The Green Party is committed to ensuring that polluters pay and we have a manifesto commitment to deliver public ownership, alongside strengthening regulators, and a £12 billion investment in water and sewage infrastructure to ensure our water system is fit for purpose.’