Raw sewage is being flushed into two London rivers from at least 100 new homes, an environmental charity warned today.
Seven blocks of flats in north and west London have been discharging waste into the rivers Crane and Brent, with pictures showing filthy piles of wet wipes and sanitary towels pouring into the river from a sewage outflow.
Thames Water blamed the issue on developers who had connected new buildings to the wrong drainage pipes, but said it was working ‘to help identify and investigate misconnections’.
One apartment block consisting of 14 flats was identified as having a ‘misconnection’ in its plumbing more than six years ago, while the freeholder of another building was notified in 2021.
But with the buildings still not replumbed, human excrement and other waste continues to pour into the River Brent and River Crane, which are tributaries of the Thames.
Ben Morris, founder of the Clean Up the River Brent campaign, holding wet wipes he has removed from the grille of a misconnected sewage outflow
Around 300 to 400 wet wipes per month gather on the grille, leading to this disgusting sight
Thames Water blamed the issue on developers who had connected new buildings to the wrong drainage pipes, but said it was working ‘to help identify and investigate misconnections’
Onlookers have described unpleasant smells coming from the rivers, as well as the growth of ‘sewage fungus’ – a mix of fungi, bacteria and algae that forms on the surface of polluted water and can suffocate fish.
Ben Morris, founder of the Clean Up the River Brent campaign, told Metro.co.uk: ‘It is now possible to build, market and sell properties that flush sewage straight into our rivers, and no one spots it until it is too late.
‘That is raw sewage going straight into a river in a country that is supposedly advanced, cares about the environment, cares about hygiene, and has a building regulations system in place. How can that not be a scandal?’
Raw sewage was pumped into British rivers and seas for a record 3.6million hours last year, more than double than in 2022.
The duration of the sewage spills had more than doubled from 1,754,921 hours hours in 2022, to 3,606,170 hours in 2023, the figures show.
Meanwhile, the number of discharges from the 14,000 storm overflows which are owned by English water companies soared to 464,056 last year, up 54 per cent per cent from 301,091, meaning that last year was the worst on record for sewage spills.
This is the highest number since current data began in 2016, ahead of the previous peak of 403,375 spills in 2020.
Failure to fix the misconnection means human waste continues to flow in the River Hanwell (pictured)
An ammonia meter with a reading of 9.86 mg/L after testing water in the River Hanwell. This is considered a high level
Regulator Ofwat is getting powers to ban bonus payments to water bosses if they fail to protect the environment, customers and their company’s finances.
Bonus payments of £41 million have been paid to bosses since 2020, despite the ongoing sewage scandal.
A Thames Water spokesperson said: ‘Most misconnections will have been done entirely by accident but is the responsibility of the property owner, which is why we would urge freeholders or developers fitting new connections to make sure they’re plumbed in properly.
‘We have identified seven buildings in the Brent and Crane area which are misconnected, and have made those responsible aware to ensure all wastewater is taken to our sewage works where it can be safely treated.
‘We have a programme of work to help identify and investigate misconnections and we also fund local projects across our region, which have been a great way to increase awareness of the issue, while involving communities to take stewardship and help manage their local environments.’
A sign urging visitors to avoid dumping rubbish in the river
The Environment Agency said it ‘encouraged’ people to report any signs of water pollution.
‘Misconnections are a major cause of pollution, especially in urban areas, where the high density of households and associated drainage increases the likelihood of misconnections and therefore the impact on nearby watercourses,’ a spokesman added.
‘We encourage anyone who is installing a new toilet, sink, washing machine or dishwasher, to make sure their plumber is connecting them to the wastewater sewer rather than surface water drains.’
