By Peter Swallow, MP for Bracknell

Bracknell Forest is a fantastic place to live for many reasons, but access to nature is surely top of the list.

This summer I’ve had the opportunity to visit a number of local initiatives working hard to protect our environment and support nature. I’ve visited the local nature reserve with the Wildlife Trust and Thames Basin Heaths Partnership, dropped into the Sandhurst Town Council Go Green Fayre, and joined local activists on a litter pick in Crown Wood. I’ve met up with the Wild Bracknell team, who are running a citizens river monitoring programme to campaign for clean water. And I had a great time at the Crowthorne Carnival, where this year’s ‘Surfing the Seven Seas’ theme highlighted the importance of protecting our rivers and seas.

Sadly, sewage dumping is a big problem across Bracknell Forest. Those of you living near the Cut will be well aware of the sewage outflows there, while wider flooding and discharges remain a big problem for residents in Sandhurst. In 2023, over 1,000 hours of sewage was discharged into rivers which flow through our constituency, and this must stop.

I was pleased, therefore, to have a meeting with Thames Water this week where I raised local concerns around wastewater management and heard their plans to invest and improve our network. I welcome recognition from their team that the company has a long way to go to restore trust in their ability to tackle their problems, after a decade of underinvestment and poor performance. I won’t stop holding them to account over unacceptable levels of sewage dumping.

During the election, I promised that a vote for Labour would mean tough action on water companies. So I’m delighted that, within weeks of taking power, the government has announced plans to ban failing water company bosses from receiving bonuses, and introduce criminal liability for the worst offenders.

Importantly, the government has also acted to ringfence investment intended for upgrades to water networks so money isn’t diverted for bonuses, dividends or salary increases.

There is much to do to clean up the mess left by the previous government’s inaction on sewage dumping, and change does not happen overnight. Thames Water remains in a difficult financial position. But I am determined to do all I can to protect our waterways, and back nature.