"Communities across south-east England are filing the first coordinated legal complaints that sewage pollution by Thames Water negatively affects their lives. Thames Water failed to complete upgrades to 98 treatment plants and pumping stations which have the worst records for sewage pollution into the environment, despite a promise to invest in them over the last five years. People in 13 areas including Hackney, Oxford, Richmond upon Thames and Wokingham are sending statutory nuisance complaints to their local authorities demanding accountability from Thames Water and urgent action."
"At several sites it is not just raw sewage from storm overflows that causes pollution but also the quality of treated effluent coming from Thames Water facilities, which presents a direct threat to public health, the campaigners say. At Thames's Newbury sewage treatment plant, raw effluent discharges into the River Kennet, a protected chalk stream. Data shows raw sewage discharges from the plant increased by 240% between 2019 and 2024 from 482 hours to 1,630 hours."
Communities across south-east England are filing coordinated legal complaints under section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, citing sewage pollution by Thames Water as a statutory nuisance. Thames Water failed to complete upgrades to 98 treatment plants and pumping stations promised over the last five years. Residents in 13 areas including Hackney, Oxford, Richmond upon Thames and Wokingham demand action from local authorities to compel Thames to stop pollution. At several sites, treated effluent quality and raw discharges, including at Newbury where discharges rose 240% between 2019 and 2024, are said to threaten public health and protected waterways. Ofwat allowed only £793m of the requested £1.18bn to be charged to customers, deeming further costs Thames's responsibility.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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