A NUMBER of Cornish MPs have praised the news that Ofwat is set to be replaced by a tougher water regulator.

The decision comes a week after the chief executive of South West Water, Susan Davy, was forced to “retire” from her role.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall, Ben Maguire, said: “We’ve called consistently for Ofwat to be scrapped and replaced by a tough new regulator, with real enforcement powers. I’m so glad that the Government has now finally been forced to act.

“I know just how much my North Cornwall constituents value healthy, pollution-free rivers and seas, so I’m very glad that we’ve been able to see a huge win from our campaign. This is a huge victory for local people, and I’m proud that our party has a bold plan to tackle sewage pollution. South West Water has the worst record in England for sewage dumping, which is just completely unacceptable.

“Our next step should be to ban water bosses’ bonuses outright until they fix their completely broken system. The problem we face is rightly called a ‘sewage pollution crisis’ - and in the face of a very busy summer period, we demand that this government go further and faster by putting an end to systematic sewage pollution once and for all.”

Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives, Andrew George, added: “We must build confidence in company reporting of sewage spills, put a stop to “dry day” storm outfalls, provide clear timely and prominent warnings to bathing water users, and see real investment in the clean-up.

“Scrapping Ofwat and bringing in much stronger regulation of water companies to tackle sewage dumping is an important step forward. It’s a victory for local campaigners and was a key commitment in the Liberal Democrat election manifesto last year.

“However, there’s still much more to do. We must keep the pressure up to force water companies to commit to clean up their act, rather than feather their nest. Since privatisation, they've collectively taken £84-billion from customers in dividends and bonuses. If that had been invested in infrastructure, we wouldn’t have this these problems.

“This wouldn’t be happening without the incredible support we received from people across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly at the general election last year. I heard from countless people who were furious about the state of our local rivers/beaches and the water companies being let off the hook.”

South East Cornwall’s Labour MP, Anna Gelderd has also welcomed the news, saying: “South East Cornwall pays some of the highest water bills in the country but has had to put up with unacceptable service. Labour’s plans to replace Ofwat with a tougher regulator will ensure stronger enforcement and real accountability.

“After years under the same leadership and repeated failings, a change at the top of South West Water is long overdue. With new leadership and a new regulator, I expect greater transparency and better service for customers. It’s time to put communities before bonuses.”

MPs Perran Moon, Noah Law, and Jayne Kirkham were also contacted for comment.