Investigation Reveals Locations of Misconnected Sewers

Two developments in Greenford flushing foul water into River Brent

The sewage outflow into the River Brent at Ealing Golf Club. Picture: Brent River Park Charity

April 1, 2025

The identities of seven developments which have had their sewers directly connected to local rivers has been revealed with two shown to be in Greenford.

Last November it was reported that a number of housing schemes by the River Brent and River Crane had misconnected sewers after Freedom of Information (FoI) requests by the Brent River Park charity and the Friends of the River Crane Environment (FORCE).

This issue was highlighted by rivers campaigner Feargal Sharkey who visited the River Brent to see the sewage discharges first hand.

Now further investigations by former Guardian journalist Jim Waterson for London Centric have identified the sources of the sewage discharges.

Residents of Astha Court and Research House in Greenford have been made aware of the problem and may now face huge bills to rectify the situation. Although they bought their flats unaware of the problem, it is possible that the developers may not necessarily end up paying to fix the problem.

Astha Court is a residential development containing 14 flats situated on Kings Avenue featuring three-bedroom units with balconies which can sell for over half a million pounds. When London Centric’s reporter visited the location, they were shouted at by a resident for reporting on the issue and were told that people living there had only just learned about the misconnections and were shocked by the situation.

A spokesperson for the residents told London Centric, “We purchased our flats in good faith, believing that the developer who constructed them complied with all the required regulations, including relating to service connections.

“The building was also signed off by Ealing Council, as being compliant with building regulations. Unfortunately, it has become clear many years after the building was completed and the developer transferred the freehold to us, that this was not the case and we are now having to address the issue ourselves.”

Ealing Council has now served the residents of Astha Court with an enforcement notice requiring them to repair the misconnection issue. Failure to do so within a set time could lead to criminal proceedings but, with the pipes likely to be buried deep underground, repair could be very costly.

Ashta Court in Greenford. Picture: RightMove

Research House in Greenford located near Perivale Station is a residential scheme converted from a former office block, offering 51 apartments and the residents there may be luckier. The freehold is linked to Patrick and David Kennedy, a pair of Irish property developers registered in Jersey. They did not respond to London Centric’s requests for comment, but Ealing Council said it is “liaising with Thames Water and the building’s duty holders to bring it into compliance”.

Research House in Greenford. Picture: RightMove

Ben Morris, Brent River Park charity trustee and founder of the Clean Up the River Brent campaign (CURB), said, “We are horrified at the scale of the problem and the slow poisoning of the River Brent. The Mayor of London has quite rightly called for the restoration of our rivers. For this to happen, builders, building inspectors, water companies, local councils and the Environment Agency will all have to step up and take responsibility.

“At present it is too easy to build recklessly and to refuse to put things right. This must change, or London’s rivers will never be healthy.”

Ben Morris at the Marnham Field Outfall which is nearest the Greenford properties

While there seems to be general agreement that this is an appalling situation, the campaigners have experienced great difficulty in finding out who is responsible for preventing it from occurring in the first place. It is thought likely that there is a far larger number of misconnected sewers across London than has been detected so far. However, no organisation appears to be responsible for inspecting new developments to insure there is no misconnection.

Thames Water said, "Most misconnections will have been done entirely by accident but is the responsibility of the property owner, which is why we would urge freeholders or developers fitting new connections to make sure they’re plumbed in properly.”

A council spokesperson said, “Thames Water is primarily responsible for monitoring any household water misconnections, which occur where waste appliances like toilets, washing machines, and dishwashers are wrongly connected to surface water drainage which should only carry rainwater. This is monitored through surveys and inspections. Misconnections can happen when properties are extended, new appliances are fitted, or where brand new properties are constructed.

“In those cases, Thames Water contact the property owner or landlord to fix the problem. If they do not respond within a reasonable time frame, the matter is then referred to the council, which can take enforcement action. We then liaise closely with Thames Water and the property owner or landlord to swiftly resolve any issues.

“We have served the duty holders at Astha Court with an enforcement notice requiring them to repair the misconnection issue within a set time frame. It is a criminal offence to not comply with a council’s enforcement notice, and we will continue to monitor the case. With Research House, we are liaising with Thames Water and the building’s duty holders to bring it into compliance.

Campaigners say the ambiguity in enforcement responsibility has effectively meant that developers self-regulate.

Ben Morris says, “The whole situation is beautifully constructed for buck passing.

“Most property buyers assume that these connections have already been inspected. It therefore comes as a surprise to them to be presented with a bill for fixing their ‘misconnected’ sewer long after the developer has left the scene.

“While the local councils, the Environment Agency and Thames Water point fingers at each other, the rivers are filling up with sewage and householders are left to pick up the bill. Tougher and clearer laws are needed. “

Before these are introduced the Brent River Park Charity and the Friends of the River Crane are calling on local authorities including Ealing, 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.

A council spokesperson saidi n response,“We are actively working with the Environment Agency and Thames Water to address the issue of misconnected sewers.

“In addition to ongoing talks between these parties and the council, a meeting was recently held involving council officers and councillors, Thames Water, the Environment Agency, James Murray MP, Thames21, and CURB to further discuss the matter.

“We are fully committed to resolving this issue promptly.”

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.