I have spent thousands of hours on the River Thames. I learned to row in Oxford, where the Thames is known as the Isis. I rowed at Thames Rowing Club on the Thames Tideway. I have lived in various places along the Thames, gradually heading west – Fulham, Putney, Kew, Richmond, Windsor, and now close to its source in Gloucestershire.
From 2005 to 2011 I rowed solo across oceans to raise awareness of environmental issues, including the issue of plastic pollution – most of which comes from inland streams and rivers that carry pollution into the sea. In 2012 I campaigned for the new “super sewer” that has now been built in London to reduce sewage overflows.
So when I hear that the Thames is so polluted that rowing crews have had to abandon the time-honoured tradition of throwing the coxswain in the river (no doubt to the relief of many coxswains), I get furious.
For me, this is personal.
The River Thames, from source to the sea, is plagued by sewage, chemical, and microplastic pollution on an alarming scale. Over 72 billion litres of untreated sewage was discharged into the river and its tributaries between 2020 and 2023. Mogden sewage works near Twickenham was the worst offender, dumping 17.1 billion litres, including 1 billion litres in a single day. The River Coln in Fairford has experienced continuous sewage discharge for over 1,070 hours.
Nationally, in 2023 a total of 464,056 discharges were counted. Untreated sewage was discharged for a total of 3,606,170 hours through storm overflows – more than double what it was in 2022. With the extremely wet spring we’ve had this year, 2024 is on track to be even worse.
Raw or untreated sewage is only supposed to be discharged by water companies into our rivers and seas during heavy rains to prevent the sewerage system from becoming overwhelmed. But discharges are now happening in dry weather too.
Pouring poo into our rivers is starting to look like business as usual for the water companies.
Meanwhile, the water industry is reportedly pushing to be allowed to increase water bills in England by up to 40% by 2030 to pay for the sewage crisis. This is utterly offensive to customers, when £85.2billion has been paid out to investors since the privatisation of the water companies 30 years ago.
That was our money, that was meant to be spent on providing the infrastructure necessary to supply water safely and reliably to our houses, but instead it has gone to large corporate shareholders, many of them overseas.
They don’t care about our rivers. They don’t care about our countryside. They don’t care about our health. It’s infuriating.
Water companies have exploited regulatory loopholes, loading themselves with debt while continuing to pay out dividends to shareholders. The regulatory framework itself is flawed, based on an outdated capitalist model that assumed publicly traded companies and competition. However, most water suppliers are now owned by opaque investment funds not subject to the same disclosure requirements, shielding their finances from scrutiny. Regulators like Ofwat have been outmanoeuvred, lacking the tools to effectively monitor and enforce compliance.
Meanwhile, the creation of regional monopolies has stifled competition and reduced incentives for water companies to invest and innovate. Householders can’t switch providers, and new entrants face significant barriers to entry. This lack of market forces has contributed to the industry’s complacency and prioritization of short-term profits over long-term sustainability.
Did we vote for the environmental destruction of our ecosystems? Did we ask to have rivers so polluted that open water swimmers can’t swim safely any more? Did we choose to enrich big institutional investors with our money at the expense of our health and our countryside?
I know I didn’t. And I don’t believe this is what you would have chosen either.
The Lib Dems are taking a strong stand on this issue. The full list of our water policies is here: Are You Drinking What We’re Drinking? Our bill would relaunch water companies as Public Benefit Companies or Corporations, with a new water regulator forcing them to be run for the good of the environment, not just profit.
Privatisation of the water companies has failed. When public utilities and services are run for profit, it’s you and me that lose out. We pay more, and get less. Free markets have their place, but to a Conservative government with only a free market hammer, every industry looks like a nail.
Can we please have a government with the intelligence, discernment and common sense to know what kind of solution to apply to which problem? And can we have it now?
“Water is life and clean water means health.”
Audrey Hepburn, as UNICEF Ambassador
Ed: West England Bylines does not support any particular political party. We do however give space to those who promote progressive and sustainable goals.
We want to hear your views. Please send any comments to editor@westenglandbylines.co.uk
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