6:50am Friday 4th December 2009
By Joanna Kilvington
Thames Water today came under fire after it emerged that large amounts of untreated sewage was dumped in the River Thames last month.
Richmond Park MP Susan Kramer called the news that 12.5 cubic metres of untreated sewage had been discharged into the river in November “depressing” and accused the water company of treating the river like an “open sewer”.
sHE said: “This is yet more depressing news from Thames Water, as we suffer even more raw sewage in our section of the river.
“We have suffered terrible sewage spills on a regular basis, leaving unpleasant smells over the summer and dead fish floating in the water.
“Our community treasures this section of the river but Thames Water treats it like an open sewer.
“The planned improvements to the sewage system that would stop these spillages cannot come quickly enough.”
The MP met with Thames Water’s chief executive in July this year after 20,000 tonnes of sewage spilled into the river on July 3 from a combined sewer overflow at Mogden Sewage Works, which it manages.
More than 200 fish perished as a result.
Just four days later a further 900,000 tonnes of untreated sewage seeped into the river from pumping stations and treatment works along the Thames.
A Thames Water spokeswoman said this week long periods of heavy rain had made November a particularly bad month for sewage overspills.
Last month was the wettest November since records began, with the Met Office revealing an average of 217.4mm of rain fell across the UK - beating the previous record of 193.6mm set in 1951.
The spokeswoman said: “London's sewer system was designed to overflow into the River Thames when it becomes overloaded, to prevent sewage backing up into homes and gardens.
“Population growth, the concreting over of green spaces and more torrential downpours from a changing climate mean that these discharges are now required far too often.
“But they are legal and consented because the rainwater and sewage literally has nowhere else to go.”
She confirmed funding and planning approval had been granted for Thames Water to improve all of London’s five major sewage works and to build the Lee Tunnel, all between now and the end of 2014, to keep storm sewage out of the river.
Hounslow Council gave the green light to controversial plans by Thames Water in March to expand the Mogden works.
The water company said the expansion would boost their capacity by 40 per cent, making sewage overspills less likely to occur.
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