Complaints against water firm

A BOY has told how he contracted E. coli while rowing in Henley as campaigners have submitted nuisance complaints against Thames Water over sewage pollution.

River Action said documents sent by the water company to regulator Ofwat showed 93 sewage treatment works and water pumping stations had not yet been upgraded.

It said it will submit complaints to councils in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and London, asking them to take “decisive action” to prevent the firm from polluting.

A spokeswoman for Thames Water said it told regulators in 2023 that it would not be able to deliver all of the upgrades but that it is “committed to seeing waterways thrive”.

The action has been backed by Sir Steve Redgrave, a steward and former chairman of Henley Royal Regatta, and Imogen Grant, who rows at Upper Thames Rowing Club.

Oscar, 17, was preparing to sit his GCSE exams when he got gastroenteritis following a training session at Henley Rowing Club on Sunday, May 11.

He said: “After the session, I went swimming in a pool and felt like I was going to throw up but I usually get indigestion anyway.

“But then the next day, I had a geography exam and I still felt sick. I came home after the exam and was sick everywhere, much to my parents’ happiness.

“I was sick continuously for the whole Tuesday and from then for about the next week and a half — I was ill for 12 GCSE exams.

Oscar completed his exams in his bedroom to stay close to the toilet. He said: “For the first couple of days, when I was really sick, I would have to stand up, go out to the toilet, throw up and go back in.”

After four days of illness, he went to the doctors, who confirmed it was gastroenteritis, which could have been caused by E. coli with him having been in contact with the river.

Oscar, who lives in Wokingham and is now studying A-levels at the Piggott School in Wargrave, believes the illness had a knock-on effect on his exams and training.

He said: “It definitely affected my performance in exams but thankfully, the subjects I chose for
A levels weren’t really affected by when I was sick, as I did well in those ones.

“The geography I had on the first day of being sick, I’m pretty sure I tanked. I was predicted to get about an eight and got a six. I can’t directly link it but I couldn’t really revise beforehand because I was in the bathroom the whole time.

“I also couldn’t train at all, which could have been an issue because we were coming up to a national schools’ race and I hadn’t been in the boat but that got cancelled anyway.”

He added: “Everyone always said the river was bad but then I had the first-hand experience of it. I know it’s not fatal, but it was a pain. Now, I use a plastic cover over my water bottle when I go out.”

At Henley’s treatment works, data from Thames Water, obtained by River Action via an environmental information request, shows E. coli levels in treated effluent reaching 28,000 cfu/100ml in September 2023. This is 30 times the safe limit for designated bathing water. Sir Steve, a five-time gold-winning Olympic rower, said: “As someone who has spent my life on the water, I am appalled by the pollution that Thames Water continues to allow.

“That’s why I’m joining River Action and communities along the River Thames in taking action to hold this company to account. Our rivers should be safe for everyone. It is unacceptable that people are being forced to fight for clean, healthy waterways.”

This type of complaint, under section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act, 1990, is expected to trigger an investigation by the local authorities to determine whether a statutory nuisance has occurred or is occurring and take reasonable steps to investigate the issues raised.

If sewage is found to cause a nuisance, an abatement notice would require Thames Water to stop causing it or face criminal prosecution.