PAUL Knight, Director of the Salmon & Trout Association has welcomed the news of anticipated large rises in water bills.

,“An 18% price rise, ironically, is very good news for all consumers.  The rise is necessary to provide essential and much needed upgrades to water and sewage infrastructure.  Another benefit is these works will put an end to thousands of regular sewage ‘overflows’ into rivers and coastal waters.” 

“This decision is good news for anglers, who contribute over 3.5 billion annually to the UK economy in rural and remote communities, as well as all water dependent wildlife.   We cannot afford to let our waters continue to be polluted.”

“The country’s top polluters – water and sewage companies – have to clean up their act, and this increase will provide them with the necessary funds to do so.  Continued violation of discharge consents will need to be treated with stiff fines rather than excused as being inevitable, due to poor infrastructure,” concludes Paul Knight.