Mermaids hold protest against water firm bailout plan

THE Henley Mermaids staged a protest with two campaign groups opposing plans that could force households to bear the brunt of bailout of Thames Water.

Concerns have been raised that a proposed emergency £3bn loan for the company would require bill payers to pay an extra £263 a year, based on figures from a Financial Times report.

Campaigners from groups We Own It and Windrush Against Sewage Pollution joined the mermaids on Monday outside the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) in London.

Wearing masks with the faces of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and minister Steve Reed, the protestors handed over a giant novelty cheque to a fake Thames Water representative.

The proposed deal, from a group of existing Thames Water creditors, will cost £800 million in interest and fees.

Campaigners are calling for ministers to intervene before the offer goes before its initial hearing in the High Court on December 17. Two days later, Ofwat is set to rule on whether it will grant a 53 per cent customer bill hike which has been requested by Thames Water.

Councillor Jo Robb, a Henley Mermaid and member of the Sewage Campaign Network, said: ”Sixteen million people rely on Thames Water for their very survival, for our fresh drinking water and sewage treatment.

“We have no choice of water company, but right now a deal is being agreed that could mean that cash-strapped bill payers are coughing up to keep Thames Water in private ownership.

“It is outrageous that struggling people should be expected to foot the bill for Thames Water's failure.

“It’s long past time that the scam of privatisation was ended and Thames Water, with more than 180 criminal convictions, is put into special administration and taken back into public ownership.” Laura Reineke, also a Henley Mermaid, said they joined the protest because “action is needed”.

Ms Reineke, from Binfield Heath, said: “Thames Water is £19bn in debt, and are wanting a £3.8bn credit lifeline. This will allow them to limp on to the next cash crisis. Action is needed to save the poor bill payer from having to pay for Thames Water’s epic mismanagement.

“The interest on this 2.5 year loan is 9.75 per cent, even I could borrow for less. Personally, my Thames Water bill is around £330 a year. This hike, which is in addition to the requested 52 per cent increase in bills, will increase my annual bills to around £800.

“The Henley Mermaids are calling for Thames Water to be put into special administration. We are one of only two countries in the world that have privatised water. The one, single resource that every living thing needs for life should not be privately owned. It should be run for the benefit of nature, with environmental targets set instead of financial targets. We plan to campaign, lobby and challenge until we see our beautiful River Thames rescued, restored and brought back to life.

“I’m sure everyone in Henley has looked at the river lately -— it is a sad, poorly, turbid mess. This is a home to wildlife, our freshwater biodiversity is plummeting.”

A Defra spokesman said: “The Water (Special Measures) Bill is placing water companies under special measures and strengthening regulation with new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bring criminal charges against persistent law breakers.

“In the unlikely event of any company entering into a special administration regime, new measures in the bill will protect taxpayers. It brings the regime in line with special administration regimes in other regulated sectors.”

In a statement, Thames Water said the extra debt was an “interim funding solution” which would not change its proposal for customer bill increases over the next five years.