‘Horrendous’ sewage in Eton Wick stream
Council to be asked to back campaign for Thames Water to end discharges
Residents have issued a call for action over ‘horrendous’ sewage releases by Thames Water at a stream near Eton Wick, writes Sam Leech.
Roundmoor Ditch, next to Dorney Common, has endured several pollution events from Slough treatment works over the past month.
Following the releases, residents say the stream started to smell and turn a ‘toxic’ colour, as well as spotting dead fish and swarms of flies.
They, along with a Royal Borough councillor, have demanded a stop to sewage.
One of the Eton Wick residents affected by the pollution, Steve Pitcher, 53, said: “The colour of the water a couple of weeks ago, it was an unnatural toxic-y, bluey green colour.
“It’s just not good enough, there’s sludge under the bushes now still remaining from a few weeks ago where the moor hens used to nest.”
Steve’s garden backs on to the Roundmoor and looks over Dorney Common.
He said the ‘smell was absolutely horrendous’ when he walked in the front door of his house.
“I couldn’t turn the lights on because of all the flies, you have to get in the door and quickly shut it,” he added.
“That’s an issue because you can’t even open your windows for fear of all the flies coming through the door.”
Claire Gee, 68, another resident whose garden backs onto the stream, said she was concerned over pollution encouraging weed growth which would could cause future flooding.
“Year on year as soon as the summer comes and the weather starts getting warmer, the weed proliferates and last year was the worst I’d seen,” she said.
“The whole of the stream was scum, it was just green. I can anticipate that this summer is going to be at least the same, if not worse.”
One Windsor resident, 26-year-old Will Jennings was so incensed by pollution from Thames Water discharges he started his own petition calling for change.
It has so far gained more than 70,000 signatures.
“I know the stream in Eton Wick has really struggled with it,” he said.
Will, a keen fisherman and volunteer at Swan Lifeline in Eton, says he had seen the direct impact of pollution on wildlife.
He added: “I’ve walked down there [Dorney Common] many a time – because it’s beautiful area but I’ve found three to four pound chub (a type of fish) dead there.
“There’s no reason for them to be dead other than the sewage, it’s incredibly saddening.”
Lib Dem councillor for Eton Wick, Mark Wilson has joined residents in their campaign.
His motion for council debate next week asks Thames Water to clear the stream of weeds and sewage discharge, invest in better infrastructure to stop discharges and look at other long-term changes.
He said: “I’m trying to bring the whole council behind the request so the whole RBWM is behind this.
“We need to make sure this doesn’t happen because the impact on residents, the impact on wildlife and the environment, is terrible.”
Thames Water said it is investing in the Slough treatment works and added river pollution can be caused by agricultural run-off – not just sewage releases.
A spokesperson said: “We regard any untreated discharges as unacceptable, and we’re committed to stopping them from being necessary.
“Storm discharges are closely linked to rainfall and our region experienced above average rainfall for most of 2023.
“The overflows are designed to discharge automatically when the sewer network is about to be overwhelmed, by releasing diluted wastewater into rivers, rather than letting it back up into people’s homes.
“We have published plans to upgrade over 250 of our sewage treatment works, including at our site in Slough.
“This project will increase treatment capacity from 1,150 to 1,416 litres a second and reduce the need for untreated discharges in wet weather.”
To view Will’s petition visit: https://tinyurl.com/yzjajuth