Sewage: West Berkshire Lib Dems Horrified by Level of Discharges

Leader of the Liberal Democrats on West Berkshire Council Lee Dillon has written to the CEO of Thames Water to demand action to reduce the scale of sewage discharges seen in West Berkshire’s rivers, canals and streams in recent days.

A new online map published by Thames Water has exposed the amount of discharges that West Berkshire’s waterways are suffering from, with incidents in Kintbury, Hampstead Marshall, Newbury and Bucklebury all within the last 48 hours alone.

The sheer scale of the discharges has left Liberal Democrat councillors and campaigners across West Berkshire horrified, and determined to hold Thames Water to account should the Party take control of the district council in May. In a letter to Thames Water’s CEO, leader of the Liberal Democrats on West Berkshire Council Lee Dillon has put the company on notice that they should expect to face tough questions and demands for progress from a Liberal Democrat administration.

He also voiced his support for the Liberal Democrats’ national campaign for a 16% “sewage tax” on water companies’ profits to pay for improvements to the sewage system and to protect our rivers and streams. 

Leader of the Liberal Democrats on West Berkshire Council, Lee Dillon, said:

“The level of discharges seen in West Berkshire in recent days is unacceptable. How much more pollution can our rivers, streams and canals take before these precious natural environments are spoilt forever? In particular West Berkshire is home to important chalk streams that we cannot afford to lose.

We need to see immediate action from Thames Water to reduce the frequency of these discharges, as well as a long term plan to make our sewage system fit for purpose. A Lib Dem controlled West Berkshire Council would be committed to holding them to account on this.

Nationally we urgently need a “sewage tax” to pay for improvements to the sewage network and increased protection for our rivers and streams. If the water companies won’t act then the Government must.”

The letter in full reads:

Dear Ms. Bentley,

As the Liberal Democrat leader of the opposition on West Berkshire Council, I am writing to you to express my Party’s horror at the scale of sewage being discharged into our rivers, streams and canals, as exposed by your new online map.

West Berkshire is home to rivers and streams of great significance, and we are concerned that the ongoing discharge of sewage into them puts these natural habitats at huge risk, at a time when we are already facing a biodiversity crisis. 

You should be aware that, should the Liberal Democrats take control of West Berkshire Council in May, we will be firm in holding your company to account on this issue. We would expect to see immediate action to reduce the amount of discharges, as well as a long-term plan to improve the sewage system locally. 

You will know that nationally the Liberal Democrats are calling for a 16% “sewage tax” on water companies to pay for the necessary improvements should you not be willing to do so yourselves. When water companies are making substantial profits it is only fair that they should be expected to pay for the improvements to their networks. If you will not take the action that is necessary then it would be quite right for the Government to intervene.

Yours sincerely,

Lee Dillon

Leader of the Liberal Democrats on West Berkshire Council