Last week, I spoke to BBC East Midlands Today alongside local residents and councillors about the ongoing pollution of the River Sence at Donington le Heath. (see the video below)

Years of underinvestment have left us in this position. That’s why we’ve been cracking down on water companies to make sure they play their part in upgrading our water networks for the future.

This Government has secured the largest ever investment in our water system, £104 billion, to improve and modernise our infrastructure.

But we’re going even further by giving the Environment Agency stronger powers to hold water companies to account. That includes faster fines of up to £500,000 and new automatic penalties, like a speeding ticket, for specific and obvious breaches, cutting out the need for lengthy investigations.

I was proud to work on the Water (Special Measures) Bill at it’s committee stage, which helped make these changes possible and is a crucial step in making sure water companies clean up their act.

I’ll keep pushing to ensure our beautiful waterways are no longer blighted by pollution, and that we can all continue to enjoy them for generations to come.