Microbiology Society responds to government’s water industry reform plan

The Microbiology Society welcomes the proposal to reform the water industry as detailed in their white paper, ‘A New Vision for Water’, published on 20 January 2026.

The Microbiology Society welcomes the move to publicly accessible, open and continuous monitoring of water, as current monitoring practices have allowed water companies to downplay their contamination of our waterways for too long.   

We are encouraged by the investment in upgrading wastewater treatment works to remove phosphorus contamination. However, we call on the UK Government and water companies to invest in tertiary and quaternary treatment methods that can remove microbial and pharmaceutical contaminants, thus slowing the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in wastewater.   

AMR is a critical, global threat to the health of humans, animals and the environment. In the UK, AMR is linked to 32,500 deaths annually. Wastewater from treatment works and sewer overflows is often contaminated by resistant micro-organisms, antimicrobials and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), contributing to the spread and development of AMR.  

We urge the government to include monitoring of levels of micro-organisms, ARGs and antimicrobial residues in their updated framework. This mandate will ensure protection of the health of recreational users of our rivers and seas and provide surveillance data on AMR.  

Dr Jonathan Cox, Senior Lecturer at Aston University and co-Chair of the Microbiology Society’s Knocking Out AMR project and its Impact and Influence Committee, said, “The UK’s wastewater system is antiquated and needs urgent modernisation. The Government must recognise and communicate that investment in decontamination technologies and improved surveillance is urgently needed to deal with the imminent risk of AMR in our rivers and seas.” Dr Cox recently authored  SOS – save our seaside! The microbiological risks to human health of raw sewage in our coastal waters.