UK Water Companies Polluting with Impunity?

England's privatised Water Companies have been able to discharge sewage into rivers and the sea, when it rains. It saves the Water Companies money (to pass on in share dividends and bonuses) but naturally upsets people concerned about the environment and human health. Problem solved, as the UK government has now pledged to raise its Environment Agency's (EA's) cap on fines to £250m (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/15/government-fine-polluting-water-firms-slammed-hot-air-environment-agency). Just a minute! The EA has had the power to impose fines, with a lower cap, for the last 12 years. Over that period, however, the EA has been cash-starved and discouraged (by its bosses) from fining Water Companies (court cases are expensive). In actual fact, the EA didn't levy a single fine against a sewage-spewing Water Company (or even a mega-chicken farm) over this entire 12 year period. Critics maintain that the 'increased cap' is just so much 'hot air'. There's not much point to a penalty, if it's never enforced!