Sewage scandal: The list of Leeds MPs who voted to dump sewage into rivers as city suffers over 300 waste spills

Several Leeds MPs are facing criticism after voting to reject a bill that would have placed legal duties on companies to reduce how much raw sewage they discharge into rivers.

The vote, which was part of a proposal from the Lords to the Environment Bill, saw 265 MPs reject the duties, leading to accusations that the Conservative Party has given the green light to water companies to dump sewage in open water.

People from across the UK have taken to social media to express their outrage, using the hashtag #SewageScandal to reveal which MPs voted to reject the bill.

Below is how each Leeds MP voted.

How Leeds MPs voted

Three of the city's MPs - all members of the Conservative Party - voted to reject legal duties being placed on water companies. They were:

Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) Andrea Jenkyns (Morley and Outwood) Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet and Rothwell)

The remaining five MPs - all members of the Labour Party - voted for the duties. They were:

Hilary Benn (Leeds Central) Richard Burgon (Leeds East) Fabian Hamilton (Leeds North East) Rachel Reeves (Leeds West) Alex Sobel (Leeds North West)

How badly is Leeds affected by sewage discharge?

In 2021, the River Aire was found to be one of the most polluted rivers in country due to sewage being dumped into the water.

An interactive map generated by The Rivers Trust showed that 368 sewage spills, or ‘storm overflows’, had occured in just one year in the Leeds area – despite storm overflows only being able to take place under 'exceptional circumstances'.

Other badly affected waterways include Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham and Newcastle Upon Tyne, all falling victim to between 200 and 350 sewage spills last year.

This is in contrast to the London area, which suffered under 100 sewage spills in 2021 according to the map.

Can sewage in the water make you ill?

The sewage released into the water can be dangerous, causing illnesses such as hepatitis A and leptospirosis.

This interactive map reveals which rivers have been deemed ‘fit to play in’.

It is advised that people check the map and avoid swimming downstream near any recent spills.