Residents across south-east England have filed the first coordinated legal complaints against Thames Water, alleging that sewage pollution from the company's failing infrastructure poses a threat to public health. The complaints, submitted under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, target 13 areas including Hackney, Oxford, Richmond upon Thames and Wokingham.
Campaigners claim that raw sewage and poorly treated effluent from Thames Water's treatment plants have made rivers unsafe for recreation and daily use. At the Newbury sewage treatment plant, raw sewage discharges into the River Kennet increased by 240% between 2019 and 2024, from 482 hours to 1,630 hours. Thames Water has admitted the plant is among its 26 most polluting sites.
The company had promised to upgrade 98 treatment plants and pumping stations over the past five years but failed to complete the work. It now wants regulator Ofwat to allow it to charge customers £1.18bn for the upgrades, but Ofwat has refused, permitting only £793m and stating that any additional costs should be borne by Thames Water.
Residents have cited cases of illness linked to river pollution, including a 16-year-old rower from Henley who contracted E. coli after training, and five children who fell ill after playing in the Thames near Hurst Park. Citizen testing found treated effluent from the Henley plant contained E. coli levels 30 times higher than safe bathing water standards.
Laura Reineke, founder of Friends of the Thames, said: “People here are fed up with living beside a river that’s being treated like an open sewer.” Amy Fairman of River Action, which is supporting the complaints, urged local authorities to investigate and issue abatement notices if statutory nuisance is found.
