Yes, that is raw sewage - you can see the toilet paper - being splashed over houses and people by passing cars
Carterton Sewage Works dumping untreated sewage into the beautiful (until that point) Shill Brook
It's more profitable to pollute than to act sustainably
An independent valuation report commissioned by Thames Water in 2024 said this;
"Delayed Infrastructure Investments
• Post-privatization, Thames Water focused on shareholder returns and
managed its operations in a way that delayed long-term infrastructure
investment. The Company deferred necessary maintenance, which led
to aging pipelines, higher leakages, and less efficient systems.
• The Company has increasingly spent on emergency repairs, which are
typically more expensive than scheduled maintenance leading to high
operational costs. "
​
Page 91: https://d2x23m05zp633u.cloudfront.net/Kroll_Valuation_Report_307a0ffba7.pdf
Why is it like this?
WASP started investigating in 2017, with a blank canvas to follow the evidence. Everything we have uncovered points to the privatisation of water as the reason why companies have concentrated on financial engineering and cash extraction and neglected their real engineering duties. The captured regulators and successive governments just went along for the ride.
Before
River Windrush, near Burford, in 2010. The water is clear and the weed is abundant – ideal conditions for wildlife.
Photo by Adam Burton, July 2010
