Summit to stop sewage pollution takes place

The summit will be attended by local residents, water companies and environmental groups

Members of the public are meeting with water companies, regulatory bodies and environmental groups to discuss ways of stopping sewage pollution.

Run by Cotswold District Council, the Sewage Summit is taking place at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, on Monday.

The event comes after water companies released record spills of raw sewage into the sea and rivers in England in 2023.

Ash Smith from Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP), said the summit was an opportunity for the council "to see what is available to help them" and "to challenge the water companies and the Environment Agency when they fail to deliver for the public".

WASP is a group of volunteers campaigning to clean up the River Windrush, which runs through Bourton-on-the-Water.

'Ensure change'

As reported in April, some of the worst offenders in 2023 included the River Coln, near Fairford, which saw 141 days of spills and Blockley Brook, near Draycott, which experienced 147 days of sewage spills.

The River Evenlode, which goes through Moreton-in-Marsh, experienced 84 days of spills.

At the time, both Severn Trent and Thames Water, the two main water companies serving Gloucestershire, said they were investing millions of pounds into infrastructure improvements.

Severn Trent said they had "announced £270m investment on 102 storm overflows, improving river health in Gloucestershire" while Thames Water said they had "published plans to upgrade over 250 of our sites, including our Cirencester, Fairford and Ampney St Peter sewage treatment works".

Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Safety Cllr Lisa Spivey, said the council will continue to lobby on these issues "to ensure change is happening".