Officer to combat homes pumping sewage into rivers

Image caption, Volunteer Ben Morris said he welcomed tougher action on sewage leaked from housingA dedicated officer is to be hired in west London in a trial to combat the problem of water-polluting misconnections.Owing to incorrect plumbing, affected households pump waste into surface drains, which can then spread, killing wildlife and damaging waterways.Misconnections are illegal, and fixing them is the responsibility of the property owner, external. Local authorities can take enforcement action, and if the pilot - funded by the mayor of London's office - is successful, the measure could be rolled out across the capital. Funding is to be spent where the issue is considered a particular problem, including the River Brent catchment area.Founder of the volunteer group Clean Up the River Brent (CURB), Ben Morris, said there was "good reason" to think misconnections "are the biggest single cause of pollution in London's rivers".He added: "We need to see stronger action from the councils to get this done."They have the power of enforcement and they need to be using those powers to get those property owners to sort out the misconnections."Image caption, Deputy mayor Mete Coban says the trial could be expanded across LondonAn information request to Thames Water by the charity Friends of the River Crane Environment (FORCE ) revealed that in October 2024 seven blocks of flats in north and west London were identified as having misconnections.FORCE said this meant at least 100 homes were flushing waste into the rivers Crane and Brent.Since then, only three of the seven blocks' misconnections have been resolved, according to Thames Water.The company said two of the housing developments still pumping out sewage were in the borough of Barnet, while two were in the borough of Harrow.It said the other three, which were in Ealing borough, have since had their misconnections fixed.It did not provide details of where exactly the properties are.Barnet Council said it was committed to resolving misconnections "as quickly and effectively as possible". Harrow Council's press office did not respond to the BBC's request for a response.Image caption, The volunteer group CURB measures pollution levels in the River BrentMete Coban, deputy mayor of London for environment, said the project would "beef up" councils by giving them resources needed to properly enforce action against misconnections."City Hall has funded a dedicated officer to operate within the council, to get to the root cause of misconnections, working with the landlords and others to make sure that we're actually dealing with this issue."The project is part of a 10-year plan to clean up some of London's rivers and waterways, announced by Sir Sadiq Khan in July.Among ten locations earmarked for funding are the Grand Union Canal, the River Brent catchment area, and the Lower Crane Valley.A total of £1.8bn has been pledged by water companies, boroughs and charities, with London's mayor adding £2.7m across three years, on top of £13.6m already promised.Image caption, Ben Morris sets up sewage monitoring devices in west London waterwaysA Thames Water spokesperson said households and buildings which have connected wastewater appliances to the wrong drainage system can have a serious impact on the environment."While we are not responsible for third-party drainage, we work closely with partners to tackle this significant issue across our catchment. Of the seven cases identified across North and West London, three have now been resolved, while work continues on the remaining cases."Most misconnections are done entirely by accident, but the responsibility remains with the property owner, which is why we would urge freeholders or developers fitting new connections to make sure they're plumbed in properly."A Barnet Council spokesperson said the investigations "can be complex, involving multiple people and organisations" but they were "committed to resolving them as quickly and effectively as possible". Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, external, X, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk, external