Labour have pledged to tackle sewage in Cumbria’s waterways through a new bill announced in the King’s speech.

The Water (Special Measures) Bill will make private water companies’ bosses personally liable for lawbreaking, and give the water regulator new powers to ban bonuses.

Carlisle’s newly elected Labour MP has welcomed the regulator’s decision to open an enforcement case against United Utilities as part of its ongoing investigation into how companies manage their wastewater treatment network.

“The new Labour Government has been clear that we will crack down on poor performance from the water companies," Julie Minns MP said. 

"We won’t tolerate sewage being pumped into our rivers, lakes and seas.”

The number of hours sewage was released into Cumberland Council area’s waterways rose by a fifth last year, new figures show.

Data from the Environment Agency shows sewage from storm overflows was flowing into water bodies in the Cumberland Council area for 91,820 hours in 2023, during 11,457 spills.

This was up from 75,301 hours recorded the year before, when there were 10,120 spills in the area.