The sewage crisis isn’t a localised issue, consigned to a few areas of the country, anymore. It is widespread and shows underlying problems with the country’s water infrastructure.

This could end up becoming an electoral headache for the Tory party, which has handled the scandal poorly.

Nearly one in four people in the Prime Minister’s own constituency say they’ve been affected by sewage spills, according to new research from 38 Degrees.

Across Yorkshire, 23 per cent say they’ve witnessed or been affected by sewage in rivers or seas in the last year alone.

Water samples being taken from a river. PIC: James Hardisty

Sewage spills aren’t just an inconvenience. They’re an environmental disaster that hurts communities. It also has the potential to cause economic damage.

Some beaches on Yorkshire’s coast are no longer safe for bathing in. Surf schools have had to cancel lessons. Families have had to rethink plans to allow their children to swim in the sea.

While in-land, people have had to put up with the stench of sewage discharges into rivers.

The Tories were once seen as a party of conservatism. A party that wouldn’t allow the natural environment to be blighted by sewage discharges. It shows how far out touch the current Tory party has fallen with its own core values. How can it even think abandoning nutrient neutrality rules is a good move amidst the current backdrop?

Inaction in the face of this growing scandal could see the Tories punished at the next General Election.

The poll by Survation shows 55 per cent of people in the region say the Government’s handling of sewage will affect how they vote at the next general election.

What this whole scandal has shown is that light touch regulation of water companies has failed.

Sewage scandal could cost the Tories dearly at the ballot box - The Yorkshire Post says