'Best kept village' out of contest due to sewage

Chalfont St Giles won 'Best Kept Village' in 2023, but has had to pull out this year

A village has been forced to pull out of the 'Best Kept Village' competition because of sewage in the river.

Chalfont St Giles Parish Council in Buckinghamshire has decided to close areas near the river, including a children's playground, a pond and the river walk.

The council said "the stench of sewage permeates the village" and it had "no option" but to withdraw from the competition.

Thames Water has apologised for discharging diluted sewage into the River Misbourne, which runs through Chalfont St Giles.

Helen Griffiths, the parish council clerk, said it means missing out on the coveted "cup winners' cup", where the 2023 winners of each category are pitted against each other.

She said they had put in a lot of work to make the village "look lovely".

"Cubs and brownies have been planting bulbs and litter picking, and the knit-and-natter group knitted post office box toppers".

The parish council closed the riverside playground due to "possible pollution"

Ms Griffiths said they had "wonderful pictures of a duck race" held to celebrate the opening of the playground in June last year.

"You could see the beautiful clear water of the Misbourne, but now we cannot let children go near the playground - let alone the river."

Robert Gill from Chalfont St Giles Parish Council said they were worried levels of contamination were far too high, after river samples were taken by Thames Water.

"I know this is pretty horrible sewage which has been pumped in," he said.

Mr Gill is worried the contamination will spread to surrounding land and take a long time to clear up.

He said the nearby pub is struggling "because the smells are pretty awful, especially in the evening".

Mr Gill says the River Misbourne has gone from a free flowing river to "what looks like an overgrown marshland"

Ms Griffiths told Thames Water to "clean up its act".

"It is a terrible shame because it is a beautiful village and we pride ourselves on it looking like it does. Through the actions of Thames Water we have had to close a lot of it off," she said.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "Our region has experienced the eighth wettest winter on record, resulting in exceptionally high groundwater and river levels.

"This groundwater and river floodwater then entered our sewers and filled the Amersham storm tanks, meaning they are full and are discharging diluted wastewater into the River Misbourne, for which we are sorry."