THE Environment Agency has responded to Newbury MP Laura Farris’ request to prosecute Thames Water for poisoning the River Lambourn.
And it’s a ‘no’.
Instead, the watchdog has said it will “continue to monitor the ongoing situation”.
It added that, although Thames Water should try to learn from the situation, “the current impact on the river is low due to the high dilution of the groundwater and high flows in the river”.
Meanwhile villagers continue to be sprayed by raw sewage flooding the streets.
As previously reported by the Newbury Weekly News, Mrs Farris wrote to the chief executive of the utilities giant, stating: “I have seen raw sewage flowing through the main roads and into the River Lambourn, a chalk stream.
“I understand that this has been the case for around 10 weeks now.”
She included photographs of dead wildlife and plants amid the faeces.
Her letter concluded: “Please treat this letter as a formal request for the Environment Agency to exercise its power to impose a fine for this serious breach of their environmental and public health obligations.”
However the Government watchdog has declined to do so.
Instead, the agency told the NWN in a statement: “The frequent discharge of untreated sewage to the River Lambourn, caused by groundwater infiltration affecting Thames Water’s sewer network, is unacceptable.
“We continue to monitor the ongoing situation and have instructed Thames Water to produce a plan setting out what it will do to reduce the risk of pollution.
“The current impact on the river is low due to the high dilution of the groundwater and high flows in the river.
“Thames Water needs to learn from this incident and confirm what additional actions and investment it will put in place to improve the situation.”
The River Lambourn is one of England’s finest chalk streams.
Internationally rare, it is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) supposedly enjoying the highest possible level of protection.
And yet, in 2018, the Environment Agency was informed of an illegal dredging operation which decimated wildlife.
Despite the agency insisting it stop, the dredging – and possible dumping of asbestos – continued.
Taxpayers have subsequently paid for a clean-up operation.
Meanwhile, six years on no one has been prosecuted, despite the agency reportedly knowing the identity of the offenders.
Overall, prosecutions brought by the agency for water pollution in England have fallen dramatically over the past decade.
