Like many people, we are horrified at the ongoing discharges of sewage into the River Chess. It’s not just the Chess; the national press raised awareness of this widespread problem covering recent votes on the Environment Bill. We’ve repeatedly lobbied our MP, Gagan Mohindra, for action on the issue. He’s also Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Chalk Streams.
The Bill has now passed into law, requiring water companies “to secure a progressive reduction in the adverse impact of discharges from the undertaker’s storm overflows.” We wanted it to be stronger, requiring progressive reductions in discharges, not just their adverse impacts.
Nevertheless the law does demand action for progressive improvements, and we’ll continue to press Thames Water to eliminate the need for discharges by adding capacity and reducing water ingress. It is clear that the public will no longer tolerate this regular pollution of our rivers and coastal waters!
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