WATER companies have failed to protect the environment with the number of serious pollution incidents rising last year, the Environmental Agency revealed today.

Overall water company performance has deteriorated, reversing the trend of gradual improvement in the sector since 2011, according to the agency’s annual report.

Most water companies look set to fail to meet 2020 pollution targets, the report warned.

Just one of the nine major water and sewage companies in England, Northumbrian Water, is performing at the level expected, while Severn Trent Water, United Utilities and Wessex Water were told to improve their performance to reduce their impact on the environment.

Shadow fisheries, flooding and water minister Luke Pollard said: “The focus of water companies needs to be on protecting the environment and fragile habitats, preventing flooding, keeping bills down and fighting climate change.

“But all too often the focus is on returning big dividends to private shareholders.

“Today’s damning assessment by the Environment Agency shows water companies are failing.

“We are in the midst of a climate emergency and water companies are doing too little to protect our environment with many falling back.”

Labour has promised to take back water companies into public ownership, which it says will bring bills down and reset priorities away from profits to protecting the environment.

We Own It campaigns officer Ellen Lees told the Star: “We’re not at all surprised that the Environment Agency has found that water company efforts to protect the environment are unacceptable.

“This is what we’ve come to expect from our privately owned water companies.

“Private companies are far more interested in protecting the billions in profits they give to shareholders than they are providing a decent service or protecting the environment.

“Enough is enough. For 30 long years, the water companies have been ripping us off and polluting our environment. It’s time we ended this. It’s time for public ownership.”

We Own It met cross-party MPs who pledged their support for public ownership this morning, including Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and Labour’s John McDonnell and Rebecca Long Bailey.

Prime Minister Theresa May claimed during PMQs today that the government has “an excellent record” in dealing with climate change and that Britain is leading the world, calling on other countries to follow its example.