Environment Agency chief executive Sir James Bevan has called an article in The Times, headlined Beach sewage inspections to be scaled back, “factually inaccurate and misleading”.

He was responding to a request for information from the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee, on the article’s claims that the Environment Agency has taken a decision to reduce inspections of bathing water pollution incidents. Sir James and the Agency’s chair Alan Lovell recently gave evidence to the Committee in its inquiry into the work of Ofwat.

Read the letter here.

Sir James said: “The Environment Agency has not taken a decision to reduce the response to bathing water pollution incidents,” explaining the position it adopted in 2021 to focus on the most serious incidents remained.