Thames Water accused of ‘Horizon scandal’ style tactics in West Berkshire

Thames Water is being accused of Post Office Horizon scandal style tactics to stop people complaining about sewage in their homes and streets.

Residents in East Ilsey and Hamstead Norreys say they have been told they are ‘the only ones’ suffering from sewage floods in their homes and gardens.

“There is a constant cycle of excuses from Thames Water,” said Carolyn Culver (Green, Ridgeway).

“They say they can’t see where leaks are when it is dry, and they can’t do anything when it is wet.”

She described trying to get an answer from Thames Water as like ‘throwing jelly at a wall.”

“Half a dozen people have told me that they have been told they are the only one suffering, when clearly there are many people affected by this.”

Rising groundwater levels in recent months has led to sewage flooding the streets, with “toilet paper and tampons” seen coming up from manhole covers, residents have said.

Meanwhile, Newbury town councillor and Green Party prospective Parliamentary candidate for Newbury Steve Masters has requested that West Berkshire Council takes decisive action against Thames Water.

Under Section 79e and section 80 of the Environmental Protection Act (1990) there is a requirement for local authorities to serve an abatement notice where a statutory nuisance exists.

Mr Masters said he requested this a week ago and has received no response from senior officers at the council.

Section 79e states that this is applicable where there is ‘(e) any accumulation or deposit which is prejudicial to health or a nuisance’.

In this case the discharge of sewage on to the streets and into the rivers in the Pang Valley, Lambourn Valley and Newport Road area, resulting in the deposit of faecal material, toilet paper, wet wipes and sanitary products.

“As a flood warden and town councillor I have been supporting residents experiencing flooding and sewage pollution over the past four months,” said Mr Masters.

“Thames Water’s failure to act is prejudicial to health.

“Residents in villages in the Pang and Lambourn Valleys have been sprayed with sewage by passing cars, and have experienced back-up of sewage into toilets, showers and kitchen sinks.

“The company’s actions are also prejudicial to users of the waterways including myself as the occupant of a narrowboat on the Kennet.

“It is time that the authorities stop passing the buck and take the action that is legally available to them, and indeed is their obligation, to demand that Thames Water stops polluting our neighbourhoods and poisoning our residents.”

Both Thames Water and West Berkshire Council were approached, to clarify what work has actually been done.

West Berkshire Council was unable to provide any information, despite promising to hold Thames Water’s feet to the fire for its performance in the district at its own scrutiny committee last year.

Thames Water has not responded.

Earlier this month, a Thames Water spokesperson said: “We are working hard to make these discharges unnecessary and have published plans to upgrade over 250 of our sites, including our Hampstead Norreys sewage treatment works.

“This project will increase the treatment capacity of incoming sewage and reduce the need for overflows during wet weather.”

This comment was sent by West Berkshire Council.

“The council has had regular correspondence and meetings involving Thames Water throughout the response and recovery to the flooding earlier this year.

“Where appropriate, we have passed on problems reported to us by our residents and worked with Thames Water to identify and prioritise the more problematic areas in order for them to focus their efforts.

“The flooding, and especially the groundwater flooding has been very challenging and Thames Water has always been responsive, but given the scale of the challenge have struggled to mitigate the worst of the impacts.”

In 2022, Steve Masters presented a public petition to West Berkshire Council, signed by more than 1,700 residents, requesting that the council ask local MPs why they failed to vote for stronger measures against sewage discharges when debating the then Environment Bill (now an Act).

The petition was rejected by the full council on March 17, 2022.