Water bill hike in the pipeline

2:43pm Friday 23rd March 2007

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Water customers will foot the bill for a £2bn super-sewer to stop sewage ending up in the Thames.

Thames Water has announced that a 20-mile tunnel will catch raw sewage and rainwater discharges that spew into the Thames following heavy rainfall.

“This is undoubtedly the worst sewage pollution problem in the UK. The Thames is one of London’s greatest assets – but it has experienced a history of abuse and pollution.

Barbara Young, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency

It will draw the sewage along the length of the river and carry it to be treated in east London.

But water service regulator Ofwat has said they are concerned that £37 will be added to each Thames Water bill by 2017.

Richmond Park's MP, Susan Kramer, said it was unacceptable to expect local people to pay for the tunnel through increased charges and that it was still unclear whether the tunnel would help the borough's waterways.

"We need assurances that it will deal with sewage problems in our area. If this is not the plan then they need to extend the sewer upstream," she added.

Thames Water studies have taken over four years to reach their solution to the 32 million tonnes of sewage that enter the Thames via the overflows yearly.

Barbara Young, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, said: "This is undoubtedly the worst sewage pollution problem in the UK. The Thames is one of London's greatest assets - but it has experienced a history of abuse and pollution.

"This option offers the best value for money and the environment."

Leigh McAlea, of local waterways charity, Thames 21, said she hoped the solution would impact on water quality in the area: "It would make a big difference for us. Anyone using the Thames for leisure activities will see the amount of sanitary products which get in to it - this is of course bad for wildlife.

"Sewage sucks to oxygen from the water which kills fish."

Thames Water's chief executive officer, David Owens, said: "We will now focus on delivering this massive and challenging engineering project as efficiently as possible, to minimise the impact on our customers' bills."

The Government have supported the plan to build the tunnel from Hammersmith to Beckton with an addition spur tunnel from Abbey Mills to Beckton.

The plans also include a construction shaft in Chiswick and work is expected to be completed by 2020.