The bosses of water companies that pollute waterways could go to prison under a new law the British government says will help clean up the country’s sewage-clogged rivers, lakes and beaches.

A bill introduced in Parliament on Thursday will give regulators the ability to ban bonuses for executives of polluting firms and bring criminal charges against lawbreakers, with the possibility of up to two years’ imprisonment for executives who obstruct investigations.

The state of Britain’s waterways made a stink during the campaign for a July 4 national election. For critics of the Conservative Party that had been in office since 2010, dirty water was a pungent symbol of Britain’s aging infrastructure and the effects of privatization of essential utilities.

  • BrightCandle@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    We don’t actually need new laws. There are already existing mechanisms for holding the directors of companies criminally responsible for damage and death they cause. Its not new laws we need its the existing ones enforced and done so not just against the water companies but any company that is harming the environment and people or committing other criminal acts.

  • Redruth@feddit.nl
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    14 days ago

    Beware new laws! we already have industry and environmental regulation overlapping with general laws. Lack of enforcement is the problem

        • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
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          14 days ago

          Big bosses will do anything to avoid prison … even follow laws.

          That’s what prisons achieve in this context.

          • Redruth@feddit.nl
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            14 days ago

            Ah, i see. build empty prisons as a deterrent to the rich. brilliant! simply brilliant!

            • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
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              14 days ago

              Does the UK not have any prisons? Really??

              I know they do, so why build any more?? The bosses can do their time in gen pop, just like anyone else.

              • symthetics@lemmy.world
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                13 days ago

                Interestingly, it seems the last government were sitting on a massive prison overcrowding crisis, and there is now talk of sending prisoners to Estonian prisons to ease it.

                To be honest, I’d imagine that’d be an even stronger deterrent for these pissbags. I can’t imagine an Estonian prison being very accommodating!

  • Redruth@feddit.nl
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    14 days ago

    BTW, are we allowed to talk about the national capacity for 60M poopies per day vs the actual load of 90M ?

    our birthrate drops. young adults emigrate. some old people die while others retire abroad. And yet, we’re 30M poopies/day overcapacity. why? nobody nose! it’s a mysteron!

      • Redruth@feddit.nl
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        14 days ago

        Do i have to spell it out? it can only mean one thing. they aren’t abroad and they aren’t dead. Which means they must be underground, kept alive in a coma. their bodies used as orgone-energy batteries to power the quantum thingy. look, i don’t have much time. you’ll have to trust me… oh no, they can see us. run!

  • egrets@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    water bosses

    Why is the AP writing as if their audience are children? I understand it from the Mirror.