AN MP stepped back in time to experience stinking Victorian streets to mark 150 years of Britain's modern sewers - and to support a campaign for clean water and sanitation across the globe.

Stuart Andrew, MP for Pudsey, Horsforth and Aireborough, took a walk down WaterAid’s Victorian street, experiencing the sights and smells of an era when open sewage ran through our roads and rivers.

He met with characters from Victorian times to discover what life was like during the 'Great Stink' of 1858, highlighting the charity's call for the UK Government to lead the way in ending the global water and sanitation crisis.

Mr Andrew also met some of the 115,056 supporters who signed the charity’s ‘Make It Happen’ petition, who came from across the country to discuss the importance of ensuring everyone everywhere has clean water to drink and somewhere safe to go to the toilet.

He said: "It has been an eye-opening day, seeing what life was like in Victorian Britain when people lacked access to safe water and there was no decent sewerage system. Investment in water and sanitation had a huge impact on our health and development, and that these are key to achieving a healthier and more prosperous world.

"I am proud that the UK Government has made a significant commitment to ending global poverty, investing 0.7 per cent of our national income in international development. As we develop the Sustainable Development Goals for addressing global development, it is clear that water and sanitation must play a central role."

Britain’s first life-saving sewerage system was created following the ‘Great Stink’, when the stench of the polluted Thames was so unbearable, it sent MPs running from the House of Commons clutching handkerchiefs to their faces and spurring them into action to clean up the city.

The opening of the first modern sewage pumping station in 150 years ago, designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, helped prevent cholera outbreaks in London. The disease had had a devastating impact across the country since its arrival in 1831, said to be similar to the effect of Ebola in West Africa today.

WaterAid’s Chief Executive Barbara Frost presented the Make It Happen petition to Baroness Verma, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Development.

Barbara said: "Our own history shows how water and sanitation can transform a nation, helping to create a healthier and more prosperous society.

"Today, 650 million people across the world still lack access to clean water and 2.3 billion have nowhere safe to go to the toilet. Life in a densely populated slum bears far too close a resemblance to UK cities in the 1800s, representing a real and growing threat to global health and stability. Diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation is the second biggest killer of under-fives worldwide, claiming the lives of 1,400 children every single day.

"The stink may be a bit further from Westminster now; but that’s no reason not to act. With the right political will, we can solve the global water and sanitation crisis."

WaterAid is calling for increased investment in water and sanitation. The charity says water, sanitation and hygiene currently receives only a small fraction of UK aid funding – just 2 per cent, compared to 20 per cent for health and 13 per cent for education.