No more ‘Dirty Business’ – campaigners challenge 14 years of illegal Thames Water pollution

Dirty Business is a Channel 4 docudrama highlighting pollution within the privatised water industry. David Thewlis portrays Ash Smith, who has spent a decade monitoring Thames tributary the River Windrush. A week on from the show’s screening, Smith led a protest against the Thames Water creditors’ proposal to pollute illegally for 14 years.

Campaigners gathered next to the Dyke, a body of water in High Wycombe. It’s in the heart of environment secretary Emma Reynolds’ constituency. They held 14 giant inflatable poo emojis, each labelled with a year to represent 14 years of illegal sewage pollution. They also carried a banner which said:

NO to 14 years of illegal sewage. Emma Reynolds must say NO to Thames Water

Thames Water on the brink

Thames Water – which has a debt pile of nearly £20bn – is on the brink of collapse. The company’s creditors have submitted a proposal to Ofwat in order to take control of Thames Water and stave off financial collapse.

As part of this plan, they are asking for leniency on pollution regulations. They say that a ‘full return to legal, regulatory and environmental compliance’ would not take place until at least 2035-2040.

On Wednesday 4 March, members of the public organised by We Own It gathered in High Wycombe to urge Reynolds not to sign off on the deal. They carried 14 giant inflatable poo emojis, one for each year of illegal sewage pollution that this deal would be signing off on.

Recent polling by Survation revealed that the majority of Thames Water customers believe that Ofwat should reject this deal. Instead, Ofwat should put Thames Water into Special Administration.

Campaigners say that Special Administration, a form of temporary public ownership, is the best option for the struggling company. Special Administration could allow the wiping out of more of Thames Water’s debts.

24 MPs in the Thames Water region recently wrote to Reynolds and Ofwat. They urged them not to sign off on the deal. The MPs included independent Jeremy Corbyn, Conservative Jack Rankin, and 18 Liberal Democrats.

Windrush Against Sewage Pollution campaigner and Dirty Business inspiration Smith said:

That the water company owners think there is even a chance that this government might betray the public and allow them to keep profiting from crime with government backing shows how dirty this business has become.

Sophie Conquest, lead campaigner at We Own It, added:

Dirty Business has created a torrent of public anger towards our privatised water industry.

More than ever, the public are furious at a system which is willing to destroy lives in order to maximise profit; which treats our rivers and seas like open sewers; and at a regulatory system which has utterly failed.

It’s time to channel that rage into what is unfolding – right now – with Thames Water.

The fact that Ofwat and this government are even considering signing off on 14 years of illegal Thames Water sewage pollution is staggering.

If Thames Water are able to set their own rules, every other water company in England will want to do the same.

Emma Reynolds has a duty to protect the public and environment. The only way to do that is to take Thames Water into Special Administration. Slash the debts, and give billpayers and the environment a fair deal. No more pollution for profit.

Featured image via We Own It