London based takeaway prosecuted for continuous sewer abuse offences for over 7 years

• China Panda, based in Fulham has been prosecuted and ordered to pay over £13,000 in fines and costs for continuous sewer abuse offences. 
• The Chinese takeaway was prosecuted at Reading Magistrates Court last month after repeatedly disposing of fats, oils, and greases into the sewers for over 7 years, despite Thames Water’s pro-active engagement.
• Thames Water is committed to preventing sewer abuse to minimise the impact on its customers, assets, and the environment.  

Thames Water has been targeting sewer abuse in the food industry, with China Panda expected to pay a combined total of £13,090 in fines and costs, due to repeatedly disposing of fats, oils, and grease into the sewers. 

China Panda was prosecuted on 25 April 2025 at Reading Magistrates Court, after several attempts were made by Thames Water since 2018 to engage with the establishment to improve their waste disposal methods. This included the installation of a grease management trap to prevent unwanted items from entering the drainage system in 2018. Further reports of blockages in 2022 and 2023 found the trap was not maintained by China Panda and consequently ineffective in preventing sewer abuse from the establishment. 

The repeated failure resulted in enforcement action being pursued by Thames Water, who are committed to preventing sewer abuse, to minimise its impact to its customers, assets, and the environment. 

Tess Fayers Waste and Bioresources Director at Thames Water said: “Sewer abuse is part of the everyday challenge we face to keep the sewers flowing to remove and treat customers’ wastewater. It is vital that we all (at home or at work) follow the rules to dispose of our waste in a manner that is safe for our assets, customers, and the environment. Discarded food solids, fats and grease congeal and block sewers.  These ‘fatbergs’ can then lead to flooding of customer homes or pollutions in our rivers.

“Our work to find and stop these offences helps us to maintain our sewer network and protect the environment. We will always look to work with individuals and companies to educate them on the effects sewer abuse has, but we will take legal action as a last resort where the risk is too high. We are pleased the courts understood the seriousness of abusing the wastewater system, which is reflected in the outcome. We hope it will remind others in the food industry to act responsibly and discard their waste correctly.”

Sewer abuse is a major issue for water companies. Every year, Thames Water removes 75,000 blockages from their sewers at a cost of £18 million per year.