Victoria Collins highlighted sewage in the River Ver and the "rich tapestry" of Hertfordshire as she made her first parliamentary speech as Harpenden's new MP.

Ms Collins was elected as the first MP for the newly created Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency at the General Election earlier this month.

For all new MPs it is a tradition that their first speech in the House of Commons serves an introduction to themselves and their constituency.

The Liberal Democrat made her first address on the green benches on Monday and used the address to highlight the key issue of sewage in rivers, as well as paying tribute to her constituents and the history of the area.

 

 

She began with a nod to her own heritage, remarking that she became an MP 50 years after her mother came to the UK from Malaysia.

Ms Collins noted her background was similar to that of her predecessor, saying: "One of my predecessors, Bim Afolami, also proudly shared his story as a child of immigrants in search of a good education and the values that he learnt and we saw he brought to his role as MP for Hitchin and Harpenden." 

Turning her attention to a key issue for residents in Harpenden and its surrounding areas, she said: "Our precious chalk streams have not only witnessed historic events and the lives, hopes and dreams of countless people, they are of rare ecological value, with only 200 existing in the world.

"Sadly, we've seen their decline as sewage has been pumped into the waterways and our own River Ver has seen over 2,500 hours of sewage discharge this year alone."

The deepening crisis in the Ver has been a key part of campaigns from politicians across this part of Hertfordshire.

Read More:

• General Election 2024: Daisy Cooper and Victoria Collins win

• Victoria Collins MP writes to Thames Water over River Ver sewage

• High levels of E.Coli detected in St Albans' River Ver

Ms Collins hailed the "rich tapestry" of her corner of northwest Hertfordshire, paying tribute to the area's "history, natural beauty and innovation."

She described residents in the constituency as "open minded, tolerant, hard working and compassionate", saying that she will be "proud" to fight the climate crisis alongside them.

The newly-elected MP also highlighted that bus services in Harpenden and Berkhamsted have been cut by more than half in recent years, as well as mentioning the health and social care 'crisis' that her party has made a key priority in recent weeks.