Thames Water knows when its sewers pollute rivers but isn’t telling the public.
Our recent Environmental Information Regulations request discovered there are more than 50 electronic monitors along the Thames in London that will tell the water company when its sewage works and sewers overflow.
That information should be online and in real-time. That’s why we formally complained to Thames Water. Click here to be on standby to hold the water monopolies to account. Thames Water will tell us the outcome of their internal review by the end of March. If they refuse to meet their legal duty we will take the legal challenge to the next stage, the Information Commissioner’s Office.
We will also ask everyone that wants to hold the company to account to deluge Thames Water with targeted requests for overflow data. When they are overwhelmed it will be easier for them to put the information online than respond to every request.
OTHER NEWS
London Waterkeeper, Theo Thomas, has been featured as part of Waterkeeper Alliance’s 20th Anniversary celebrations. Theo was also in Nairobi last November for the gathering of Waterkeepers from 
Africa, Europe, the Caribbean. the Middle East and Australia. He serves as the representative of these Waterkeepers in the global movement. The summit boosted the work of African Waterkeepers facing profound challenges to water. EcoPeace Middle East helped delegates develop new ways to work across frontiers and address conflicts.
The Guardian ran an article about the movement for more truly swimmable rivers in the UK, including our ‘A Thames Fit To Swim’ campaign.
A sign that the River Thames is getting cleaner is the appearance of seals, and other mammals. They are feeding on the fish of course. This is because 5 sewage works were upgraded in 2016, and overflows reduced. The investment only happened because the UK Government was found to be breaking the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive by the European Court of Justice. The enforcement of environmental laws gives us a healthier environment. That’s why we want to see Thames Water tell us when its sewers overflow, so we know how well the infrastructure is performing. This protects seals, fish and us.