Fake sewage demonstrations staged over water firm pollution

Protesters have poured fake sewage over the steps at the entrances to two water company headquarters and called on them to stop polluting waterways.

Thames Water and Southern Water have been criticised over sewage incidents and were last year named as among the worst performing companies by Ofwat.

Extinction Rebellion (XR) members donned hazmat suits and respirators at demonstrations in Worthing and Reading.

Both water companies have said they are working to tackle the problems.

The past several months have seen unprecedented sewage dumps at South East beaches, discharges into the River Thames and River Cherwell around Oxford and the River Coln in Gloucestershire, and sewage floods in gardens in Berkshire and Luton,

XR members have called on both companies to "stop illegally pouring untreated sewage into waterways and cease the payments of all bonuses, dividends and excessive executive wages" until the problems are fixed.

Protesters have said the problems have been caused by years of excessive profit-taking and underinvestment.

Brighton member Nicola Harries said Southern Water was putting the health of swimmers at serious risk, while Uckfield sales manager Tom Maidment said sewage dumping made waterways unusable and unsafe.

Steve Lowes, who lives on the Thames, said Thames Water was destroying the biodiversity of rivers, adding: "It will get worse as climate change brings more rain, flooding and pressure on our antiquated and underfunded water and sewage systems."

The protesters made the fake sewage by mixing together guar gum, sugar, brown food colouring, breakfast cereal, "fake poos" made of clay, and added tampons, toilet paper and baby wipes.

An XR spokeswoman said the material was all non-toxic and was cleaned up afterwards by protesters.

A Southern Water spokesman said: "We play our part in improving the standard of bathing waters, through major investments in treatment works along our 700 miles of coast - and we are working hard to extend our efforts and partnerships."

The company said it was investing £2bn between 2020 and 2025 and had not paid dividends to shareholders since 2017.

At Thames Water, a spokesman said: "We regard all discharges of untreated sewage as unacceptable and will work with the government, Ofwat and the Environment Agency to accelerate work to stop them being necessary and are determined to be transparent."

He said: "Our shareholders have not taken a dividend in over five years and last year approved a business plan that sees us spending an additional £2bn beyond what our customers are funding so we can improve outcomes."

The company said it aimed at a 50% reduction in annual duration of discharges across London and the Thames Valley by 2030, it had started a £100m upgrade of a sewage treatment works in London and capacity was increasing at plants across the Thames Valley.

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