Comedian joins protest over sewage discharges in Thames

COMEDIAN Russell Brand joined campaigners in calling for water companies to clean up their act.

Mr Brand, who lives in Henley, was a guest at the “Speak up for our river” event on Saturday that was organised by wild swimming group the Henley Mermaids.

The riverside rally called on water companies to reduce the amount of sewage they discharge into Britain’s waterways.

The Rivers Trust says that in 2021 Thames Water discharged sewage into the Thames for 324 hours from the Friday Street sewer storm overflow, and for 144 hours from the Henley wastewater treatment works into Fawley Court Stream, a tributary of the Thames.

But Thames Water said it has discharged sewage nine times from the nearby treatment works in 2021, a total of 143 hours and all before June that year.

Mr Brand, who also owns the Crown pub at Pishill, said: “Without the regatta, without this river there is no Henley.

“The entire identity is built around this river and the idea that it’s a dumping ground for – if I said the word that’s most commonly used to describe it you’d be appalled and yet in reality it’s being pumped into the river where people swim and live.

“It’s an example of [our] detachment and we need to awaken to that reality.”

The event on Saturday marked the end of a summer-long swimming challenge by the Mermaids, whose stage-by-stage marathon paddle along the Thames raised money for charity Surfers Against Sewage and raised awareness of filth in the river.

The full story with more pictures will be in this week’s Henley Standard, out on Friday.