Local River Sewage Shame
River Misbourne and Colne hit with over 1,400 hours of sewage discharges last year.
Data released by Thames water shows thousands of hours of sewage discharge into our local rivers.
In the case of the River Misbourne sewage was discharged for over 1,200 hours on 66 separate occasions last year. While there were 23 separate discharges into the river Colne totalling over 200 hours.
The discharge into the river Misbourne is particularly concerning as it is one of only a handful of chalk steams in the country.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: “ This truly is scandalous. Chalk streams must be protected from these destructive sewage dumps.”
Chalk streams are a unique waterway, they have been referred to as “England’s rainforest” for their special qualities which allow wildlife and plants to thrive. They are a haven for iconic species like the otter, kingfisher and salmon amongst many others.
Beaconsfield Liberal Democrat candidate Anna Crabtree said: “The Conservatives claim to be protecting our rivers, however their ‘plans’ will allow water companies to keep discharging sewage for another 15 years. We need to be taking action now to protect our rivers and clean up the mess the Conservatives have caused.”
Protect our rivers from Sewage
Anna and the Lib Dems are calling on water companies to clean up their own mess and stop dumping sewage in our river and lakes. Water companies pumped sewage into our rivers and seas more than 1 million times over the past three years. The Conservatives are letting them get away with it AND want taxpayers to pay to fix the problem. It's time for a sewage tax on the £2.2 billion water company annual profits to improve our sewage systems and protect our rivers and lakes