River Brent Campaigners Welcome New Enforcement Officer

Will be tasked with tackling illegal sewage misconnections

Volunteers in the River Brent. Picture: Ben Morris

September 7, 2026

River pollution campaigners have welcomed a major step forward in the fight against illegal sewage discharges, after the Deputy Mayor of London for the Environment, Mete Coban MBE, announced funding for a dedicated enforcement officer to track down and stop sewage misconnections across the capital. The announcement was made on 7 September during a BBC visit to Costons Brook in Ealing’s Brent River Park, where the Clean Up the River Brent (CURB) campaign was being profiled for its work exposing pollution in the River Brent and River Crane.

The new role forms part of the Mayor of London’s wider plan to clean up the city’s rivers, following research published in November 2024 by CURB and the Friends of the River Crane Environment (FORCE). That investigation revealed that seven housing developments were flushing sewage directly into the Rivers Brent and Crane. While illegal misconnections in local waterways have since been fixed, four developments in Barnet and Harrow are still discharging foul water. Further research has shown the scale of the problem is far greater than first thought, with more than 2,000 misconnections now identified across London.

Misconnections occur when foul water from toilets, showers, dishwashers and other household systems is wrongly plumbed into surface water drains, sending raw sewage straight into rivers rather than to treatment works. Building inspections should prevent this, but campaigners say inadequate checks and poor enforcement have allowed the issue to persist for years. The result is severe pollution that harms wildlife, threatens public health and turns rivers into “foul-smelling drains.”

Ben Morris, trustee of the Brent River Park Charity and founder of CURB, said the new enforcement officer marks a long-awaited shift in approach. “We’re really pleased about this appointment. It is a big step forward,” he said. “Until now, the response of some local authorities has not been good enough. It’s been too easy for them to sit back and do nothing, which is why these cases have gone on for so long.”

But Morris warned that new misconnections are still being created. “There is not enough in place to stop this from happening. We need a tightening up of building regulations and inspections to make sure these misconnections don’t occur in the first place. A certificate of adequate drainage should be part of the material information needed for anyone selling a property. It should not be possible to sell a property with a misconnection.”

Katie Boyles, Chair of the Brent River Park Charity, said the Deputy Mayor’s decision to make the announcement in Brent River Park was a recognition of the campaign’s impact. “It is a vindication of the ongoing hard work Ben and his team are doing, lifting the lid on this extremely damaging, London-wide pollution issue,” she said. Boyles noted that many residents are unaware their homes are discharging sewage, with problems often stemming from inadequate investigation when properties are built or extended.

She also welcomed Ealing Council’s recent action to fix some of the worst misconnections in the borough. “The River Brent forms the core of the proposed new Regional Park in West London. A cross-borough initiative to clean the river up is essential for our wildlife and human health to thrive. This announcement is therefore well-timed.”

The Brent River Park Charity is now calling on Barnet, Harrow, Brent, Hounslow and Ealing Councils, the Environment Agency, Thames Water, the Greater London Authority and developers to work together to resolve outstanding cases and prevent future ones. Campaigners say stronger legislation is needed to ensure all drainage systems are properly inspected and that developers cannot connect foul water pipes to rivers.

Through its CURB campaign, the charity will continue its Environment Agency-supported monitoring of pollution in the River Brent and its research into identifying misconnections.

To become a free member of the Brent River Park / Brent River and Canal Society charity, stay up-to-date and find out more about the Brent River Park visit its website: www.brentriverpark.org and follow @BrentRiverPark on Twitter / X, BlueSky and Instagram.