New Data Exposes Industrial-Scale Illegal Sewage Spills in Newbury

Today, newly released analysis has laid bare the full, devastating scale of illegal sewage pollution carried out by Thames Water, and it confirms what communities across the Thames region have feared: this is an environmental disaster on an industrial scale.

Between 2021 and 2025, Thames Water committed at least 8,499 illegal sewage discharges, out of more than 39,404 total spills, polluting 163 rivers across 66 constituencies. These findings were first reported in the New Statesman, which exposed the scale of the environmental and financial crisis inside the company.

Chalk streams, some of the rarest freshwater ecosystems in the world, are among the most seriously affected, including our own Rivers Kennet and Pang.

The findings come from the largest analysis ever conducted of Thames Water’s data, produced by Professor Peter Hammond, whose work also features in Channel 4’s factual drama Dirty Business.

Newbury’s Chalk Streams Are Among the Worst Hit

Here in Newbury, the findings are deeply alarming. The Newbury Sewage Treatment Works recorded 24 days of illegal ‘early’ spills, and in 2024 alone, our area endured over 8,900 hours of sewage discharges. These spills affected the River Kennet, a designated chalk stream of national and international ecological value.

The crisis extends far beyond our towns and villages. Across the Thames Water region alone:

• The River Pang suffered 383 illegal spills, the highest among chalk streams analysed.

• The River Lambourn and River Kennet also sustained repeated illegal discharges from neighbouring sewage works.

• Deferred upgrades, groundwater infiltration, and shoddy data reporting were identified across multiple sites.

This is not an accident. It is the inevitable result of years of underinvestment, weak regulation, and a system where financial engineering has been prioritised over environmental responsibility.

This is a Systemic Failure, and it Must End

For too long, Thames Water has been allowed to operate in a way that fails communities, fails the environment, and fails basic accountability. The scale of illegal activity uncovered makes one thing clear: the current model is broken. Nationally, the Liberal Democrats are calling out the scandal in the strongest possible terms.

I join my Liberal Democrat colleagues and am calling for:

1. Special administration for Thames Water

We cannot continue with a system where billpayers are left paying for failure while essential upgrades are delayed and the company’s financial backers continue to benefit. Thames Water’s model is fundamentally broken, and the scale of illegal pollution makes that impossible to ignore. Putting the company into special administration is now the only credible way to reset its priorities, end the cycle of underinvestment, and ensure that protecting our rivers, our environment, and our customers finally comes before the interests of offshore creditors.

2. Legally binding upgrade deadlines

No more vague commitments. No more slipping targets. Chalk‑stream catchments like the Kennet and Pang must be prioritised.

3. Stronger regulation and full monitoring transparency

Regulators must be given teeth - and Thames Water’s operational data must be published openly, accurately, and in real time.

4. Greater protection for chalk streams

Today, Liberal Democrat MP Dr Pippa Heylings is introducing a Ten-Minute Rule Bill to secure UNESCO Natural World Heritage status for the UK’s chalk streams - recognising their global significance and strengthening the protections they deserve.

Chalk streams are precious and not replaceable. They are part of our identity in Newbury, and their future depends on action, not words.

We Cannot Wait Any Longer

The evidence is now overwhelming. The damage is real. And the stakes for Newbury’s rivers and precious chalk streams could not be higher.

I will continue pushing in Parliament, in committee rooms, and with local agencies to ensure that the Rivers Kennet and Pang get the protection they need, and that Thames Water is held fully to account.

Newbury’s chalk streams cannot afford delay, and neither can we.