A law that would punish water companies for discharging into rivers has been welcomed in Reading.
The town is a major waterway, with the confluence of the River Thames and the River Kennet and several other brooks and streams.
Sewage discharges occur when water treatment facilities are unable to purify enough water, leading to sewage effectively being flushed into waterways.
Water quality became a hot-button issue during the general election campaign earlier this year, with the Labour Party promising to reduce discharges by 90 per cent by 2030.
Now, the Labour government has introduced the Water (Special Measures) Bill which would put water companies under special measures to punish poor performance and slash bonuses for executives.
Representatives of Reading welcomed the bill in parliament, reflecting on alarming cases of sewage discharges.
Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading Central said: “In 2023, Foudry brook, which flows into the Kennet, was badly polluted.
“Next to well-established willow trees on the banks of that small river, which flows through local fields and past people’s terraced houses into Reading, I saw with my own eyes putrid green water—the stench was unbelievable—caused by a sewage outfall in Hampshire that flowed into Foudry brook and ultimately into the Kennet, then into the main River Thames.
“That is the sort of disgusting pollution that we are concerned about, which is why I am so pleased with the Government’s action on this important matter.
“It is also important to local residents who live next to rivers, who walk near rivers, who use canoes or boats in rivers, or who fish in rivers.
“I have seen other appalling instances of pollution. In another case, I was walking with my wife next to the Thames in the middle of winter. It was a beautiful scene and, looking across the river, we could see trees, fields and hillsides in the distance. There was a heron on the water.
“Sadly, this view was blighted by the sight of dark brown-cream foam frothing on the river and gathering next to an island—the foam was caused by nitrate pollution from sewage.
“This was in the River Thames, in a beautiful area just outside Reading, and it is the sort of disgusting pollution that we and our constituents are all having to face. That is why this Bill is so important, and I hope we can all agree to support it because such appalling pollution simply should not be taking place in England, or in any part of the UK.”
Olivia Bailey, the Labour MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire, accused Thames Water of ‘failure’ adding the River Pang in her constituency has been “decimated” by sewage outflows.
She said: “Children walking to school through raw sewage in the streets—an absolute disgrace.”
They both spoke during a debate on the second reading of the Water (Special Measures) Bill on Monday, December 16.
Mrs Bailey held a roundtable meeting to discuss the protection of water habitats with The Rivers Trust, WildFish, the Angling Trust, RSPB, Action for the River Kennet (ARK), The Wild Trout Trust, River Action UK, and the University of Readin on Monday, December 9.
