Thames Water announces £1.6 billion investment plans to cut sewage in Aylesbury and beyond

Thames Water has announced record investment to address its sewage treatment after the water provider received heavy criticism.

The water company which serves residents in Aylesbury Vale and a majority of Buckinghamshire has been heavily criticised for dumping untreated water in the rivers throughout the country.

Government data shows that in 2021 the company oversaw 14,000 spills from storm overflows in 2021.

Thames Water’s announcement this morning (27 February) of a £1.6 billion investment, comes after an interactive map was released by the company which showed where its workers dump raw sewage in real time.

Covering a two-year period Thames Water reports that the major financial commitment is double what it currently spends addressing its sewage problem.

In neighbouring Oxfordshire campaigners have been protesting against Thames Water calling for changes in the law to prevent further waste entering UK waterways.

Thames Water states the money will be used to fund significant upgrades to wastewater treatment plants and sewerage networks to reduce storm discharges and pollution incidents.

Currently, the company is pledging to reduce its annual duration of discharges by 50% by 2030 compared to a 2020 baseline. Which would include an 80% reduction in discharges in particularly sensitive catchments.

Also Thames Water announced that from April it will nvest £1.12 billion on sewage treatment plants, including £650 million on enhancing and upgrading over 135 existing sites to improve resilience and provide additional capacity. Over the period, Thames Water will spend a further £470 million on the wider sewer network.

Thames Water chief executive Sarah Bentley, said: “The discharge of untreated sewage is unacceptable, and we are committed to tackling this problem. We are investing record sums in upgrading our sewer systems and treatment works and are striving every day to reduce the discharge of untreated sewage into our rivers.

“However, there are no quick fixes. Population growth will increase the strain on our sewage network and treatment centres. And because of climate change, the south east of England is experiencing heavier downpours, which can overwhelm some sewage treatment works. The scale of the challenge demands urgent and systemic reform with a shared undertaking from all stakeholders.”