Calls have been made to ban Anglian Water executives from receiving bonuses totalling £3.5million until the company has sorted sewage releases and leaky pipes.
Last week Mayor Dave Hodgson raised the issues of sewage releases, leaks and odour. while speaking to Robin Price, Anglian Water’s Director of Environment and Quality, at the Odell Water Recycling Centre.
There was “positive news” with Anglian Water investing in additional storm capacity to reduce releases of untreated waste.
Previous data on sewage releases from Odell Water Recycling Centre also turned out to be a big overestimate due to an instrument error.
Even so, the Mayor said that Bedford Borough Council will “watch the future data on sewage releases with interest”.
He’s now calling on the Government to ban bonuses unless sewage releases into our rivers “become “extremely rare events”.
“The big bonuses reported for Executives don’t sit easily with the information the public is seeing,” he said.
With the issue of leaking pipes, Anglian Water has reduced its leaks by 6% over the last three years, but they are still estimated to lose approximately 190,000 cubic metres each day.
That’s enough to fill 500 swimming pools daily.
Anglian Water says they are aware of this problem and added that our recent dry weather has dried out the area’s clay soil which puts strain on pipework and may result in more leaks needing to be fixed.
“My visit and discussion was very useful,” said the Mayor.
“I learnt that Anglian Water, like Bedford Borough Council, is aiming to be net zero by 2030, about the creation of wetlands as part of the water recycling process and a willingness to work with partners on designated bathing sites.
“I look forward to these opportunities to work together.”
A spokesperson for Anglian Water told the Bedford Independent, “As an organisation with social and environmental purpose at its core, the remuneration of our senior managers is directly linked to company performance.
“Although we surpassed our regulatory and our own stretch targets in a number of critical areas, such as reducing leakage, our overall performance in the last year did not meet the levels we aspire to, so, as our customers would expect, all senior management and Director bonuses were significantly reduced, including that of our Chief Executive.”
If you notice a sewage odour that you think is due to the Water Recycling Centre (Sewage Treatment Works), let Anglian Water know the date, time and strength of the odour at bedford@anglianwater.co.uk.
