An MP has hit back at a company's “absolutely outrageous” plans to raise water bills by over 84 per cent despite their “shocking” performance on sewage.

James MacCleary said he has written to Lawrence Gosden, chief executive of Southern Water, to ask for a meeting after the water company said it wanted to raise bills by 84 per cent.

The decision comes despite continued criticism on sewage dumping into rivers and waterways in Sussex, including into the River Ouse and Cuckmere in Mr MacCleary’s Lewes constituency.

The Lib Dem MP said: “It’s absolutely outrageous that Southern Water could seek such a high bill rise despite such a shocking performance. The environmental damage that is happening in our seas and rivers is shameful, and the costs of fixing that should not be passed to ordinary people.

"Sewage dumps in beautiful local rivers like the Ouse and Cuckmere and on our iconic coastline neighbouring Seaford and Newhaven is a scandal.

“It’s time for the government to scrap Ofwat, introduce a regulator with real teeth, ban bosses's bonuses for failing companies and intervene to stop water companies passing the costs of years of failures to ordinary people.

“I’ve written multiple times to the chief executive of Southern Water asking for a meeting, and will be strongly suggesting that they change course.”

Stuart Ledger, Southern Water’s chief financial officer, said the company's bills had been “historically at the lower end of the industry” and had not risen in pounds sterling since 2014.

But, according to the Discover Water website, Southern had above-average combined water and sewage bills in two of the last three years from 2022/23 to 2024/25.

Southern Water also had the fourth highest average sewage bill in the country, according to the website.

Mr Ledger added: “We understand that in percentage terms, our proposed bill rise is among the highest, and that this may cause concern among some of our customers, but we are taking this approach in response to what our communities have told us they want us to deliver.

"We are ready to invest to deliver huge environmental benefits and a secure, resilient water future for the region and look forward to working with our regulators to achieve this.”