Wokingham Liberal Democrats have criticised MP Sir John Redwood for voting against a compensation scheme for swimmers who get sick from sewage.
The amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill, tabled by Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron, would have allowed anyone who gets sick as a result of illegal sewage dumping to claim compensation from water companies.
It was voted down in the Commons after MPs, including Sir John voted against the amendment.
It comes despite a recent report which found 1,924 cases of people getting sick due to suspected sewage pollution during the last year, nearly triple the number of cases reported during the previous year.
Clive Jones, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Wokingham, said: “It’s shameful that John Redwood and this Conservative government have once again put water companies’ profits before people’s health.
“It is a complete slap in the face to all those in Wokingham who expect their MP to stand up and fight for them, instead of for massive companies who have dumped filthy sewage into our rivers and lakes.
“It is a sad state of affairs when swimmers are falling seriously sick from sewage while water company bosses trouser millions in bonuses.
“The Liberal Democrats have exposed the sewage scandal and will continue to hold these polluting firms to account, even if Sir John refuses to.”
In response to the accusation, Sir John told Wokingham Today: “I have urged the government to do more to stop sewage outflows to rivers, and support the large-scale investment programme in more waste water and rain water capacity to avoid such discharges in future after expansion of the existing system.
“As the Minister stressed, people have rights to claim compensation under the current law.”
