A call has been made for water companies fined for releasing sewage into the region's rivers and seas to also be made liable to pay compensation to businesses affected.
Anglian Water was last week hit with a fine of £2.65m after the company admitted allowing untreated sewage to overflow into the North Sea in Essex.
And there have also been concerns about discharges elsewhere in East Anglia.
The same firm is being investigated over four spills into the River Wensum, near Norwich, in 2020 while North Norfolk District Council is considering whether it could take legal action after a discharge shut Mundesley Beach.
READ MORE: Anglian Water disputes sewage claim
Now, as the issue of pollution gains prominence and water companies come under increasing scrutiny, a new initiative could put them under even greater pressure.
READ MORE: Anglian Water bosses quizzed by councillors over pollution
At a meeting of Norfolk County Council next week (Tuesday, May 9), a motion will be tabled by the opposition Labour group asking the authority to say it wants to see water companies which illegally release sewage automatically liable to pay compensation to nearby people and businesses.
The scheme would mean that tourism firms operating in affected areas - such ice cream vendors, pubs and restaurants as well as those offering activities like surfing lessons - would receive automatic payments.
Labour county councillor Mike Smith-Clare said: "We need to make sure the cost hurts water companies so much they quickly act to stop it happening.
"Water companies make huge profits. They can afford to get the work done, but families can’t afford to have their holidays and days out spoiled."
READ MORE: 600 tonnes of 'unflushable' waste clogs up drains and sewers
Water companies are able to use 'storm overflows' in certain conditions when there is too much pressure on pipes, such as after heavy rain, if they have permits to do so.
Bosses at Anglian Water, at a recent scrutiny meeting at the same council, defended their attempts to reduce how often raw sewage is released through the overflows.
Dr Robin Price, Anglian Water's director of quality and environment, said millions of pounds was spent on investment and the public could help prevent blockages by not putting oil and wet wipes down sinks and toilets.
He said Anglian Water was investing £800m in the region between 2020 and 2025, creating more wetland to prevent surface water run-off heaping pressure on pipes.
But in the meantime, communities across Norfolk and Suffolk continue to be affected by sewages discharges.
In Southwold - a town famed for its quality of life and Blue Flag beaches - there were five sewer releases in 2022.
And critics have said water companies need to be better held to account for their actions - or lack of them.
At the recent Norfolk County Council meeting, where Anglian Water bosses faced questions, Green councillor Jamie Osborn said infrastructure spending had suffered because of millions paid to the shareholders of privatised water companies.
However, Dr Price said Anglian Water shareholders had not received any dividends for five years between 2017 and 2021, while investors had reinvested £200m.
But criticism has also been directed at Ofwat, the regulator for England and Wales, for failing to ensure water companies had invested sufficiently in infrastructure.
A House of Lords committee said Ofwat and the Environment Agency must do more to hold polluters to account through penalties and prosecution.
And Conservative MPs have faced a backlash since they voted down an amendment to the Environment Bill in October 2021, which sought to place a new legal duty on water companies to “take all reasonable steps” to prevent sewage discharges.
The government said at the time that it was already delivering on a legal duty to stop sewage dumps, and raised concerns over the amendment.
The party has since come under pressure from campaigners and opposition parties to do more to tackle sewage entering waterways.
Last month, Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey unveiled a new Plan for Water - that could lead to unlimited fines for polluting water companies.
Up to £1.1bn could be spent by water companies in England to prevent 10,000 storm overflows a year as part of the strategy.
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