Update: Sherborne and Thames Water

This is an update on the situation regarding the sewage discharges. I passed our concerns to the Windrush Catchment Partnership, and the Chair decided to forward them on to Thames Water in advance of the Windrush Catchment Partnership meeting in a couple of weeks' time. The hope was that they would answer the questions in detail and then provide someone at the meeting, as usual, to allow us to engage and move the matter forward.

The response has been extremely disappointing. Firstly, Thames Water said they would need some weeks to come up with answers. That's ridiculous! One of the questions was: will the Bourton on the Water sewage treatment works upgrade be finished by spring this year, as promised? If they can't answer that with a yes or no, something is seriously wrong. Secondly, they then decided that they didn't have anyone available at all to come to the Windrush Catchment Partnership meeting. Thames Water have always sent a representative to WCP meetings. They are members. So you can draw your own conclusion as to why they aren't coming this time.

Let me make the points we raised very simply:

1. The upgrade tripling the capacity of the Bourton-On-The-Water sewage treatment works was originally scheduled for 2023. It has slipped without explanation every year since then. They now can't confirm if it will be completed this Spring as stated on their website. If the date has slipped again I think they have an obligation to explain why to the WCP, and the implications. That's a red flag for us. (* In then last 24 hours I have picked up that Bourton on the Water Parish Council have been told that the completion date has been delayed, again.)
2. In October 2024, Thames Water claimed that their re-lining of the sewers around the Bourton on the Water treatment centre had dropped discharges by 50%. However, when the annual results for 2024 were published a year later, it was a record year for discharges, and we have asked Thames Water to explain that discrepancy.
3. We have noticed anomalies in the discharge data at the Bourton-on-the-water sewage treatment works which could indicate "under-reporting" of discharges . We've asked them to explain that. Discharges are one thing. Volume and concentration of sewage remain unknown, as does impact on the river, and we've asked them to provide us with more understanding on that too.
4. Bottom line: There was a 1014 hour sewage discharge in January and February - pretty much continuous for 42 days. After spending £4M on a plan for Bourton STW, the plan clearly hasn't worked and Thames Water must come up with a new plan. It is not unreasonable for a Catchment Patnership to scrutinise that plan.

So our strategy at the moment is that I will speak at the Windrush Catchment Partnership meeting (taking place in Sherborne) in two weeks' time and ask the Catchment Partnership to take a number of positions:

A. We forward the above questions to Thames Water and demand an answer in writing within two weeks.

B. We demand an update on the discharge data on a monthly basis, not annually in arrears.

C. We demand that at the next catchment partnership after this one, they send someone capable of engaging with the catchment partnership in the detail of the operations of the Bourton on the Water Sewage Treatment Works.

I certainly intend to make sure that these aspects are clearly minuted and publicised. It's not unreasonable for us as a community to take a position on how our sewage is managed when we are paying for that sewage to be treated and it's being simply dumped in the river. Thames Water now have a credibility problem. If there are things you think I should add, please get in touch, reply to this below, and let's make it very clear that Sherborne as a community is very unhappy. I'm angry and I think you will be too.