Sewage was pumped into the River Misbourne for nearly 400 hours following a month of storms and heavy rain.
Discharge into the river from the Gerrards Cross Sewage Treatment Works (GCSTW) began on Monday, September 23, because of storm overflow and lasted for 396 hours.
Earlier this year, Gerrards Cross town councillor Diane Holden wrote a letter to Thames Water on behalf of residents about the discharge of sewage from GCSTW. Sent in April, the letter explained that a report by Chilterns Chalk Streams Project found discharges from GCSTW “fell outside of the guidelines”.
Cllr Holden was calling for Thames Water to “speed up the design and delivery” of an improvement plan and “ensure all mitigations are in place to reduce discharges”.
Though the improvement plan was due to be complete in 2026, this has been extended to 2027.
Cllr Holden shared: “It is disgusting and shouldn’t be happening. It represents a failure by both the regulator and the government to hold Thames Water to account.”
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “While all storm discharges are unacceptable, the sewage system was historically designed to work in this way, to prevent sewage backing up into people’s homes.
“We know how much people enjoy and appreciate rivers, and we are committed to seeing waterways thrive, but we can’t do it alone. Farming, industry, road runoff, wildlife and increasingly extreme weather also play a role in river health.
“We have clear and deliverable plans to upgrade 250 of our sites to increase treatment capacity and reduce the number of storm discharges. This includes GCSTW.
“As infrastructure ages and demand on it increases, more investment is needed across the entire sector.”
Photo: Misbourne River Action
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