Two Local Housing Developments Flushing Sewage into River Brent

FoI requests reveals one has been polluting since 2018

Sewage outfall into the River Brent. Picture: Ben Morris

November 6, 2024

A Freedom of Information Request (FoI)by a local environmental charity has revealed that a number of new housing developments are pumping sewage directly into local rivers.

Thames Water’s Surface Water Outfall Programme has been investigating misconnected properties for some time

The Friends of the River Crane Environment (FORCE) asked Thames Water for the information relating to progress of these investigations around the River Crane and the River Brent. The water utility confirmed that it was aware of seven estates near these rivers which were built without connections to an appropriate sewer and so are flushing their toilets and other foul water straight into the water.

Two of these were in the London Borough of Ealing discharging into the River Brent one of which, a 14 unit development, Thames Water has confirmed has been discharging sewage into the river since 2018. The size of the other development in Ealing is unknown but the issue was only discovered this September .

Thames Water declined to name the developments concerned as the information would be considered personal and was therefore exempt from disclosure.

FORCE reported that none of the developers has taken steps to remedy the situation and that, in at least one case, they are attempting to pass on the costs to the leaseholders.

Environmental campaigners say that ,given that this FoI request was restricted to the catchments of the River Brent and River Crane, it is highly likely that there are many more such developments across London and the rest of the country.

FORCE Trustee Rob Gray said, “We were appalled at the extent of this pollution problem and by the approach shown by the developers and/or freeholders - in first allowing this gross misconnection failure to be constructed, then failing to resolve it for up to six years, and finally (in at least one case) apparently seeking to pass the costs of repair on to their leaseholders.”

Ben Morris, Brent River Park charity trustee and founder of the Clean Up the River Brent campaign (CURB), added, “This is a catastrophic failure of regulation. It is now possible to build, market and sell properties that flush sewage straight into our rivers, and no-one spots it until it is too late. The regulatory system has broken down, and nobody wants to bear the costs of looking after our environment. Sewage pollution kills wildlife and turns healthy rivers into disgusting drains.

“This is where the sewage scandal and the leasehold scandal overlap. Developers cut costs, the rivers get polluted and by the time anybody finds out, it’s left to the residents to pick up the bill.”

The Brent River Park Charity and the Friends of the River Crane are calling on Barnet, Harrow and Ealing Councils, the Environment Agency, Thames Water, the Greater London Authority and the developers to work together to resolve the problems at these and other similar developments. In the longer term, this requires tougher legislation to ensure that all water connections are properly inspected and that those developers who connect foul water pipes to rivers are punished.

We have contacted Thames Water for comment.

The Brent River Park charity, through its Clean Up The River Brent campaign (CURB), says will maintain its campaign on this issue and will continue its Environment Agency sponsored work to monitor pollution in the River Brent.

For more information on CURB, and to volunteer, visit its page on the Brent River Park website, heck out their Just Giving Page raising funds for quality water pollution testing and follow them on Twitter / X @BrentPollution, or join them on Facebook at CURB – Clean Up the River Brent.