Joy Morrissey MP has said she ‘strongly welcomes’ Ofwat’s hefty penalty for Thames Water for failing to manage sewage spills.

The MP for Beaconsfield, Marlow and the South Bucks Villages said the Water Service Regulation Authority’s clampdown on the private company – handing it a proposed fine of £104 million – was promising progress in the fight to tackle local water pollution.

The regular will also appoint an independent monitor at Thames Water to supervise and report back on the company’s turnaround plan after it found itself in over £15 billion worth of debt earlier this year.

Sewage discharges from treatment plants operated by Thames Water were up by more than 50 per cent year-on-year in 2023, with Little Marlow and Chesham bearing the brunt of flooding and pollution issues in the Buckinghamshire region.

Public outrage reached a fever pitch in April when TV presenter and naturalist Steve Backshall shared water samples from the Thames in Marlow that appeared to contain dangerous levels of E. coli and norovirus and described the discharges from the Little Marlow Sewage Treatment Works as a “death potion for the Thames”.

Joy Morrissey, who was one of the few Conservative MPs in Bucks to hold onto their seats in the July 4 general election, said she was “deeply concerned” to hear about the findings in the spring and assured constituents that she was working with the government and the Environment Agency to “take any steps necessary to ensure the waters are safe”.

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Months later, some progress has been made – the MP, who has taken strong environmental stances on local issues including the Marlow Film Studios project, said she “strongly welcomes” the £104 million fine after what she described as “repeated failures” from Thames Water to address high spill levels.

Ms Morrissey said: “The last Conservative government put in place stronger powers for the regular and removed the cap so it could issue unlimited fines.

“I’m pleased to see those powers used at the conclusion of this long-standing investigation and the decision to put an independent monitor in place.

“Thames Water urgently needs to get its house in order, and I will be continuing to press them for improvements at Little Marlow.”

A Thames Water spokesperson told PA that untreated sewage spills are “unacceptable even when they are permitted”, that the firm is “working on improving its record” and will respond to the proposed fine “in due course”.