Councillors and campaigning groups will join together to demand an end to sewage dumping, and the public is very welcome to join in. For a second time, they will do so on Port Meadow, Oxford, this time at the Wolvercote Bathing spot(1) at 12.00 noon on Saturday 28th January.
In October 2021 the government blocked an amendment which would have required water companies to reduce the amount of raw sewage they dumped into British rivers. Thames Water has continued to release untreated sewage into the Thames. Comments from participants:
Lucy Grabe-Watson, Oxford for Nature(2): ‘It’s 2023 and there is as much crap going into our rivers as ever. A quick check on Thames Water’s own map today showed that there are currently overflows in Oxford, Woodstock, Islip, Standlake, Stanton Harcourt; the list goes on. Sewage is flowing into all our rivers and streams as we speak. We join Extinction Rebellion and the other groups here today in calling for an immediate crackdown on sewage pollution and legal accountability for Thames Water and other companies responsible.”
April Jones, Extinction Rebellion Oxford(3): “Extinction Rebellion is well aware that the Climate Emergency and a variety of ecological problems are made far worse by ill considered human actions. Damaging the climate undermines habitats, reduces crop yield and tends increase the number of extreme weather events. The coalition of groups on Portmeadow on 28th January know, as do the public, that water leaks and sewage dumping are as much Government failures as our Parliament failing to radically improve Climate policies to cut emissions quickly. There are no excuses, after decades of these problems. The Government’s idea of waiting until 2063 to clean up our rivers and canals is unacceptable and fails to recognise widespread rejection of such an approach by the public.”
Councillor Lucy Pegg, Green Party, Oxford City Council(4): “Oxford’s residents demand that water companies and Westminster clean up their act on water quality. It is a tragedy that no rivers in England are deemed to be in overall good health and it is unacceptable for Thames Water to continue profiting from pouring sewage into our waterways.”
Councillor Susanna Pressel, Labour Party, Oxford City Council(5): ‘It is absolutely disgusting and disgraceful that TWU is continuing to discharge sewage into our streams and rivers – and that the government is doing almost nothing about it! Both Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council have sent strong letters of protest. We had a long but really pathetic reply from DEFRA, including promises like this: “By 2035, water companies will have to improve all storm overflows discharging into or near every designated bathing water; and improve 75% of overflows discharging to high priority nature sites.” So they expect us to wait more than 10 years to see just a slight improvement! This is simply not good enough.’
Councillor Jo Sandelson, Liberal Democrats(6): “Just over a year ago my local swimming group was involved in organising a large protest on Portmeadow against river pollution. Thames Water has been pouring untreated sewage into our stretch of the River Thames to the north and west of Oxford. The government responded by granting us Bathing Water Status. It sounded like a victory, but actually only means monitoring the pollution, not cleaning up the water. Thames Water is still allowed to pollute. Thames Water say they are spending a quarter of a billion pounds a year improving and maintaining Witney sewage treatment works but it’s not enough. 100 new houses lead to 30 tons of sewage being pumped out every day and there are several large developments about to be built within a relatively small radius of Wolvercote Mill Stream. The Government must act.”
PLEASE NOTE:
This is part of a national day of action. Other Oxfordshire actions on Dirty Water are being held in Banbury and Witney. Details: Banbury – 11.00am Tom Rolt Bridge, Banbury – Saturday 28th January; Witney – 12.00 noon on Saturday 28th January – at the office of Robert Courts MP: 58-60 High Street, Witney, OX28 6HJ
