MP Alan Mak chairs Southern Water Regional Forum meeting to keep up pressure on discharge reduction

The Forum brings together MPs, councillors and community representatives from the region with senior management from Southern Water.

In 2021 Mr Mak campaigned for and helped to pass the Environment Act in Parliament which forced Southern Water to put in place plans to cut sewage discharges, and then eliminate them in normal conditions.

The company's Clean Rivers and Seas Plan includes an investment of £700m scheduled to take place between 2025-2030, rising to £1.5bn by 2035.

Mr Mak and fellow MPs have insisted on progress reports every year as well as organising Regional Forums throughout the year.

At the latest meeting Southern Water Chief Executive Lawrence Gosden said that, in the first year of a two-year storm overflow reduction plan, the company had achieved a 37% decrease in discharges despite 10 named storms and an unusually wet winter.

Since the last Regional Forum, Southern Water has also submitted a business plan to industry regulator Ofwat that proposes £7.8bn of investment from 2025-2030 to deliver major improvements in water resilience, wastewater treatment and customer service, as well as enhancement and protection of the environment.

Mr Gosden explained that Southern Water is planning to deal with increased rainfall by improving surface water drainage rather than simply building bigger storage tanks. However, Budds Farm wastewater treatment works in Havant will have some additional storm storage capacity in place by the end of 2025 as their tanks are expanded.

During storms, stormwater will now go through the Long Sea Outfall at Eastney, avoiding the coast near Langstone Harbour, and treated effluent will be discharged from Budds Farm.

He said this will make a big difference to water quality in Langstone Harbour and will be done over the next year.

Nick Mills from Southern Water also gave an update on the company's online Beachbuoy system, a 24/7 storm overflow tool where people can check local water quality.

He said a new, improved version of Beachbuoy is in development, which will work better on mobiles and feature information that is closer to real-time. After testing, there will be an expanded pilot scheme before it goes live.

Meanwhile Southern Water is working with the University of Portsmouth on innovations such as a water quality buoy off Hayling Island.

Mr Mak said: "I am keeping up the pressure on Southern Water to reduce discharges and keep the public informed about water quality, and the Forum welcomes their latest actions.

"Through the Regional Forum and my campaign work locally, I will continue to hold them to account on behalf of all residents in the Havant Constituency."