Water Supply: Hampshire
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve the inspection of water infrastructure in Eastleigh constituency; and what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy, safety and long-term resilience of water supply and wastewater infrastructure in Hampshire.
Answered by Emma Hardy
The Environment Agency has increased wastewater inspections of Southern Water, completing over 750 between April 2025– March 2026. 58% of these were unannounced, including 10 in Eastleigh. While 71% of Southern Water’s sites were compliant between April 2025-March 2026, over 400 maintenance-related improvements were still required across the Southern Water's wastewater assets during this time.
Water companies must meet their statutory obligations by continuing to secure resilient water supply and wastewater services, including investing in projects like the Havant Thicket reservoir that will benefit Hampshire communities.
In the Water White Paper, the Government set out our commitment to the introduction of statutory, outcome-focussed resilience standards for the water sector. These will set a required minimum level of resilience, ensuring water companies make improvements to protect customer services and mitigate against long-term system shocks.
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