Protestors will be staging a paddle-out protest outside Thames Water HQ today (Monday) after E.coli was found to be present in the water near to the building.
Members of River Action and Surfers Against Sewage will take to the River Thames by the HQ in Reading on rafts and surfboards, holding placards protesting against the actions of the water utilities company at 5.30pm.
Citizen scientists from campaigning body River Action carried out localised water quality testing from the area and found an average of 741 E.coli colony forming units (CFUs) per 100ml.
This is considered just below poor water quality by the Environment Agency (which is at 900CFUs) for bathing water quality standards, indicating that sewage is present in the river near to the headquarters of Thames Water and could cause sickness.
This testing took place between June 9 and June 19.
River Action’s Chloe Peck said: “It is ironic that the testing we’ve done on the water near to Thames Water’s HQ indicates the river there is just about safe to swim in because wherever else they operate and we have taken water samples their sewage pollution presents a major health risk.
“Earlier this year we found extraordinarily high levels of E.coli on the Thames used for the university boat race—9,500CFUs—and in that case rowers did get very sick.
“Our message to Thames Water is a simple one: take responsibility for polluting the nation’s capital river, clean up your act and invest to fix your leaky infrastructure.
“Meanwhile, in this General Election we urge voters to hold politicians accountable and prioritise candidates that want clean rivers.
“Nothing short of a total overhaul of the water regulators and refinancing of Thames Water—putting people and nature before profit—will do.”
Surfers Against Sewage chief executive Giles Bristow said: “Thames Water’s greedy, grasping hands are stained with the utter filth they have been spewing into this iconic river.
“Our waterways should be havens for wildlife and wild swimmers but these precious public spaces have been hijacked by an industry single-minded in its pursuit of profit.
“From the riverbanks to the beachfront, we're hearing loud and clear that a furious British public is ready to reclaim our waterways from the polluters.
“Communities across the UK helped lift the lid on the sewage scandal and they are now demanding to know how their prospective parliamentary candidates plan to end sewage pollution.
“Working alongside our friends at River Action, we’re delighted to give those in Reading a platform to do just that.”
Following the protest, there will be a hustings event co-hosted by River Action and Surfers Against Sewage where candidates from the constituencies of Reading West & Mid-Berkshire and Reading Central will provide voters with the opportunity to understand how they would address water pollution on the River Thames and how their parties would solve the crisis nationally.
The meeting point for the 5.30pm paddle-out is Hill Meadows Car Park and the hustings will take place at the same location at 6.30pm.
