Severn Trent has outlined plans to spend a major cash injection on reducing sewage spills as chief executive Liv Garfield defended her seven-figure pay package. In an announcement on Friday, the water firm said it will spend £450 million by late 2024 to early 2025 after a £1 billion equity raise from investors in October. The money is going to a range of storm overflow solutions across 900 locations in the Midlands, it said. It comes as the industry faces fresh scrutiny over the quality of Britain’s water after revelations of a massive Lake Windermere sewage spill and that the parasite cryptosporidium has contaminated water systems in Devon. Ms Garfield was forced to defend her seven-figure pay package on Friday as she spoke about Severn Trent’s capital investment programme on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. The chief executive admitted she had been paid £13 million in the last four years, saying: “Yes, it probably is true because it is performance-related. “During that period of time we’ve been the best-rated company across the piece whether it’s by the Environment Agency – we’ve had the best environmental record – whether it’s Ofwat in terms of our service performance, whether it’s investors contributing...