South West London was hit with over 500 million litres of sewage in a day, according to a new Liberal Democrats investigation
The Liberal Democrats have uncovered through an Environmental Information Request that the Thames Water has discharged at least 14.2 billion litres of sewage into the River Thames in 2023 alone.
Sewage discharged from the Thames annually
Since 2020, this figure has increased to 85.9 billion litres. The alarming data has prompted Sarah Olney, the Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, to demand a radical overhaul of Thames Water.
Olney has called for the company to be placed into Special Administration and restructured as a “public benefit company” prioritising environmental protection over profit. This includes proposals to include environmentalists on the company’s board.
Thames Water, the largest water provider in the UK, is currently not legally required to report the volume of sewage discharged, only the duration. However, the Liberal Democrats discovered that Thames Water does operate some volume sewage monitors due to an agreement with the Environmental Agency.
These monitors are unique to the Thames Tideway Tunnel project and do not cover the entire network, suggesting the actual volume of sewage could be significantly higher.
Sewage spills into the Thames
Thames Water’s volume monitors revealed that despite the company’s promises to address the issue, the volume of sewage discharged annually has not improved significantly.
The frequency of sewage spills has also increased from 148 incidents to 255 over the past year.
The worst incident last year occurred at Mogden in South West London, where 558 million litres of sewage were discharged in a single day.
Another major incident took place at Crossness, with 430 million litres of sewage released in one day.
Reducing the amount of sewage released into the Thames
The Thames Tideway Tunnel, a £4.5 billion project set to open next year, is expected to significantly reduce the amount of sewage entering the Thames. Thames Water has been using electronic devices to measure the quantity of sewage flowing into the part of the Thames covered by the Tunnel, which has highlighted the severity of the issue.
This has fueled a growing backlash against sewage pollution, an issue that has gained significant political traction in the south of England, where the Conservatives are seeking to retain marginal seats in the upcoming election on July 4.
The Liberal Democrats’ exposure of Thames Water’s sewage dumping practices has sparked a call for urgent action to protect the River Thames and the health of Londoners.
