Politicians are doing a stinking job of fixing our sewage crisis

Surely the whole point of being in government is to, well, govern.

As I stood looking into the impenetrable abyss of a skip full of wet wipes and other unmentionables at my local sewage treatment works, two thoughts entered my head. 

One, that the glamour of being a constituency MP frankly knows no bounds. 

Secondly, as I gazed upon the thousands and thousands of disposable wipes, I couldn’t quite believe the message hadn’t got through.

The sights, sounds and smells I experienced accurately represented the problem with policy making around the environment, and so much else. 

Governments, of every party, at every level, have quite simply prioritised talking over action, spending years (decades, sometimes) consulting on things that are just plain common sense. 

Whether it’s a ban on wet wipes, or tackling the blight of sewage in our rivers, too often our policy is talk now, act later, when it should be the opposite. 

Water UK estimates that these wipes are responsible for 75% of drain blockage in this country. 

Sometimes, as I saw on that eye (and nostril) opening visit, they beautifully combine with oil and fat (which shouldn’t end up down your sink) to create giant ‘fatbergs’, which traverse the sewage system before coming to a resting place and causing an expensive, smelly and unpleasant blockage – even threatening to flood homes and business. 

Banning them seems like an absolute no-brainer, and yet the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) still has to consult on whether we should get rid.

Why? Surely the whole point of being in government is to, well, govern! Voters expect us to take a leadership position, then crack on and deliver. 

Even the House of Lords, which is designed to be a consultative body, expressed its frustration at the Government deciding to go round the block again with yet another delay.

Why are we still talking things over when 96% of the public supports a ban on wet wipes containing plastic? 

In fact the ban has been government policy since 2018 – but here we are, six years and three prime ministers later, staring at piles of stinking wipes.

And yes, before you ask, I have photos of all of that in the aforementioned skip at Fullerton.

Government is about bringing the public along with you on policy, and that involves being clear about the reasons for implementing it. 

Over 90% of British people want to see greater action on cleaning up pollution in our rivers and seas, but if we want to see that issue tackled, every one of us also has to acknowledge our role in causing it. 

That’s why we need to be honest about why some things like wet wipes need to be banned, and move quickly to actually ban them. 

It is a similar argument with the hideous addictive thing that is the disposable vape.  

Even if we all agree they are a great way to get off cigarettes, they are a clear example of something that causes unacceptable plastic pollution. 

But it seems to me, and the public, there is inconsistency with what measures to tackle the environment we choose to do, and choose not to do. 

As a specific example, I’ve been deprived of an effective straw with which to enjoy a McDonalds vanilla milkshake (yes politicians have vices too) but can still avail myself of a vanilla yoghurt flavoured vape, complete with teeny tiny lithium ion battery and a chunk of plastic.  

It seems obvious that, as with wet wipes, we need to get on with getting rid of them. 

But of course first we have to get to the end of yet another interminable consultation.

So my advice to Ministers? Grab some initiatives that might make a tangible difference, get the public onside, and start to tackle this issue. 

And run with them. Don’t be lily livered and have another consultation – take Nike’s (and Nokes’) advice and ‘just do it.’ 

Because this might sound minor, but it is serious. 

We need to reduce sewage in our rivers and take practical steps to see a real reduction in the storm overflows that have blighted our waterways.  

I spent some hours this week talking about the measures introduced to stop groundwater from infiltrating the foul drains and ending up overwhelming sewage treatment plants

That involves complicated circular systems that could stop less sewage getting into the rivers, where it doesn’t belong.

While some solutions to this undeniable crisis are technical and difficult, others, like banning wet wipes, are simple. 

So it’s time to stop talking, start doing, and remove the stench of inaction. And the stench of sewage. 

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

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