Increased scrutiny for super sewer project
If it goes ahead, the project could see the cost of water bills rise for people in West Berkshire
A ‘SUPER sewer', the cost of which is set to add £10 a month for life to water bills of Newbury people and the 14m other Thames Water customers, is to face intense scrutiny.
The MP for Newbury, fisheries minister Richard Benyon, met with 14 council leaders affected by the scheme on Monday, after they took the unprecedented step of creating the independent commission of internationally renowned experts to examine the case for the 20-mile-long sewer.
A project of Thames Water, it would be larger than the Channel Tunnel, and at £3.6bn will cost more than Wembley Stadium and the Olympics combined, if built.
Thames Water has said the tunnel was needed to avoid EU fines and clean up the River Thames, but growing numbers of residents, councils and MPs are questioning whether the sewer, which is also known as the Thames Tunnel, is the best solution.
The Thames Tunnel Commission was launched on Monday, ahead of the meeting between Mr Benyon and the council officials.
The chief executive of Thames Water, Martin Baggs, said that the sewer's £3.6bn price tag – initially costing customers an extra £65 per year for life - was based on 2008 figures and ”will inevitably increase”.
Lord Selborne, who has sat in the House of Lords since 1971 and is a former member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and Lloyds bank director, is the chairman of the panel.
He said: “The key question is whether this multi-billion pound project is the best solution to making the Thames cleaner or whether there are sensible alternatives that are cheaper, greener and less disruptive.”
Thames Water, which will also meet Mr Benyon, argues that the 39m tonnes of raw sewage which kills fish and carries dangerous pathogens on entry to the Thames, is now an environmental health hazard.
In a recent statement the water firm said: “The unacceptable level of sewage discharges to the river must be resolved at minimum cost, so we welcome the appointment of this commission and look forward to providing whatever information Lord Selborne may require.”
Leading the pressure for the review is the leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council, Stephen Greenhalgh, whose council will fund the commission.
He said: “Doing nothing is not an option, but we need to consider the possibility that there are better alternatives.
“I am concerned that our approach seems to be one where Thames Water customers are being asked to foot the bill for a European edict where the main beneficiaries will be shareholders from an Australian finance group which owns the utility company.”
Mr Benyon said that he believed the project was necessary but added: “I'm particularly concerned that it is done at the lowest possible cost and that the engineering solutions work.”
