Thames Water response to Seacourt Stream pollution fine

Thames Water has today been fined £4 million at Aylesbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to a pollution incident in Oxfordshire in 2016.

Richard Aylard, Thames Water’s sustainability director, said: “We are deeply sorry for this incident in 2016 and the entirely unacceptable pollution that was caused to the Seacourt Stream, following a blockage of our sewer.

“We pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and accept the judgement of the Court that we failed badly by not inspecting and cleaning this part of the sewer system.

“But things have changed. As part of the comprehensive turnaround programme launched by our new Chief Executive we are doing five times as much sewer cleaning as we were in 2016.

“Yesterday’s decision by Ofwat and the Environment Agency to look in to sewage discharges across rivers and other watercourses has rightly brought this issue to the fore. Our view is that it’s unacceptable for untreated sewage to enter rivers, even when legally permitted, and we have an unprecedented amount of investment directed towards safeguarding our rivers and streams, including spending more than £1.25 billion at our sewage treatment works during our current five year business plan.”