New Thames Water illegal spills data: "We are seeing an environmental disaster on an industrial scale"

EMBARGO: Immediate Release 

Responding to new research which finds Thames Water made at least 8,499 illegal sewage discharges between 2021 and 2025, Liberal Democrat MP for Witney, Charlie Maynard, said:

“The Government is following in Conservative footsteps, actively helping as vulture funds pick the bones of our largest water utility while billpayers are left picking up the tab for record-breaking illegal pollution.

“We are seeing an environmental and financial disaster on an industrial scale. With over 8,000 illegal sewage dumps in just four years - 1,200 in my constituency alone - our precious rivers are being treated as open sewers. It is a scandal that customers are being fleeced to service payday-loan style interest rates for American hedge funds while the taps of investment are turned off.

“Executives and creditors are getting away scot-free while billpayers and our environment pays the price. We need to stop the rot, put Thames Water into special administration, and finally prioritise the health of our rivers and the rights of customers over the profits of offshore vulture funds."

ENDS

Notes to editor:

First reported by the New Statesman here.

Analysis is here (Prof Peter Hammond is being played by David Thewliss in the recently released Channel 4 factual drama 'Dirty Business')

Liberal Democrat Pippa Heylings MP will today present a 10 Minute Rule Bill seeking to protect precious chalk streams through making them UNESCO world heritage sites

That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Secretary of State to take the necessary steps to nominate the UK’s chalk streams as a serial UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site that can be seen here.