South Hams "wants improvements to Devon's water infrastructure"

South Hams District Council has "reiterated its commitment to the environment" by attending a county-wide summit looking at "how Devon’s water quality can be improved".

Council Leader Julian Brazil and other senior members of the council attended the Devon Water Summit on 12 December, which brought together local authorities, Government agencies, the Environment Agency, South West Water and other stakeholders to discuss what can be done.

Cllr John McKay, Lead Member for the Biodiversity and Climate Change, said: “The council is very concerned about continuing pollution, be it through sewage discharges, industry and agriculture, or general weaknesses in our water infrastructure.

“Protecting our environment and increasing biodiversity are one of our top priorities. Ensuring our water is clean is vital for the health of our rivers and seas, wildlife and residents.

“All eight district councils in Devon attended the summit and it’s encouraging to see colleagues share our strong feelings. We will co-ordinate with them to lobby government and hold both the Environment Agency and South West Water to account.”

Cllr Julian Brazil, Leader of South Hams District Council, said: “I am very disappointed that the Chief Executive of South West Water, arguably the most crucial stakeholder in these discussions, didn’t attend the summit.

“The importance and depth of feeling around this issue is clear. You only need to look at the outbreak of cryptosporidium in the South Hams and Torbay earlier this year to see that there are issues with our infrastructure that urgently need to be worked on.”

“Events like the outbreak cannot be allowed to happen again. Clean water is the most basic of human rights, and our water management in the county must be more effective going forward. It is crucial to not just the environment, but tourism as well.

“How regularly are there stories in the press about sewage being pumped onto our beaches, or tourists becoming unwell after swimming on our coastline? It’s unacceptable. Things have to change.”