Green Party councillors in Bath and North East Somerset are calling for their council to pass a vote of no confidence in Wessex Water amid ongoing concerns about sewage pollution. The motion, set for a vote at the council meeting on 17 September, criticises the company’s management after it was revealed that untreated sewage was discharged into local waterways for thousands of hours last year.
Wessex Water is responsible for sewage treatment across Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset and parts of the Bristol area. According to the Green Party motion, despite these repeated environmental breaches, the company’s chief executive received an £80,000 pay rise, even though Wessex Water has been banned from issuing bonuses.
If approved, the motion would declare that Bath and North East Somerset Council has no confidence in the water company. It would also request that Wessex Water’s executives appear before a council scrutiny panel to answer questions. Additionally, it urges the council leader to lobby the government to consider nationalising water companies to address systemic issues.
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The motion describes the sewage crisis as a “national scandal” and condemns successive governments for failing to implement effective measures to resolve it, allowing the problem to worsen over time.
Similar actions have taken place elsewhere in the southwest of England. Cornwall Council passed a no confidence motion in South West Water in July, citing the company’s “grave failure” to manage sewage disposal responsibly. Approximately 60 town and parish councils supported the Dowr Glan campaign, which advocates for clean water, after untreated sewage was discharged at some of Cornwall’s most popular beaches.
In Wiltshire, where Wessex Water also operates, councillors have raised concerns following reports of children falling ill after swimming in local rivers, with some requiring hospital treatment. In July, Bath and North East Somerset Council unanimously endorsed a charter recognising the river’s right not to be polluted.
Figures from Rivers Trust indicate that Wessex Water’s storm overflow systems discharged untreated sewage for 190,666 hours in 2025. These overflows release rainwater mixed with untreated sewage directly into rivers and seas, typically to prevent sewage backing up during periods of high demand.
Wessex Water acknowledges the role of storm overflows in its sewerage network. Their website states: “Storm overflows have always been part of the sewerage network in the UK and while they have little impact on water quality, they are clearly not appropriate for the 21st century.”
The company explains that immediately eliminating all storm overflows would cause extensive disruption to communities, including widespread roadworks, and substantially increase water bills. Wessex Water has committed to reducing environmental harm by targeting the most frequently discharging and environmentally impactful overflows. Over the next five years, it plans to invest £8.5 million per month in improving overflow infrastructure.