Water investment aims to end sewage waste flooding

Thames Water's Alice Keeping described the £37m as "a substantial amount of money that we are going to invest going forward"

Thames Water has said it will spend £37m upgrading its Mole Valley network - raising hopes it could spell the end of homes, gardens and rivers being flooded with sewage waste.

The company came in for heavy criticism for the "damage it has inflicted" despite huge profits and shareholder payouts during the latest scrutiny committee meeting at Mole Valley District Council.

However, it hopes investment projects in parts of Surrey will increase its ability to manage storm flows and treat more wastewater, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Thames Water's Alice Keeping described the £37m as "a substantial amount of money that we are going to invest going forward".

Last year, Thames Water spent 13,101 hours pumping sewage into the River Mole according to government data seen by the Dorking and Horley MP, Chris Coghlan.

Speaking after the meeting, he described the record as "simply unacceptable" but has since had assurances from Thames Water and environmental regulators that "long overdue" upgrades were on the way.

"The Government and Ofwat have a duty to hold the water companies to account," he said.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "In 2024 parts of our region experienced some of the wettest months in 250 years.

"This overwhelmed our sewer network which resulted in diluted wastewater being released into rivers.

"While all storm discharges are unacceptable, the sewage systems were designed in this way to prevent sewage backing up into people's homes."