Thames Water criticised over Bracknell Forest rivers' quality

Emm Brook is one of the waterways monitored by the Environment Agency

No river or stream in a Berkshire borough is deemed a "good" healthy place for plants and wildlife, it has been revealed.

The Environment Agency said sewage discharges by Thames Water was a major factor in pollution in water courses within Bracknell Forest council area.

It said none of the monitored waterways reached a good ecological status.

Thames Water admitted its discharges were an issue, but said agriculture and urban run-off added to the problem.

The open river bodies monitored by the Environment Agency in Bracknell Forest include various sections of The Cut, as well as Bull Brook, Emm Brook and the Blackwater.

All of them have "moderate" ecological status, meaning wildlife and fish are harmed by changes to the river and some good uses of the waterway have been restricted.

The agency's Dave Willis said: "The ecological quality of rivers in the Bracknell Forest area is not where we all want them to be. The issues facing the catchments are varied and complex with no simple or quick solutions."

He was speaking as Bracknell Forest councillors began an investigation into how the council can get Thames Water to reduce the number of sewage discharges.

Figures revealed in November showed that it has pumped 72 billion litres of untreated sewage into the Thames alone since 2020.

Mr Willis said there was concern over the high number of serious pollution incidents and that the agency rated Thames Water at two stars out of four, with its performance "requiring improvement".

Thames Water sustainability director Ricard Aylard admitted that the company was the "single biggest" reason water in the Thames River Basin was not at "good" ecological status.

"But you've also got agriculture and rural land management - quite a big section - and then you've got urban and transport," he added.

He said Thames Water planned to upgrade sewage treatment works to help them cope with the volume of water flowing into them - especially during heavy rain.

Upgrade work is set to be completed in Ascot in 2024, in Bracknell in 2026 and in Easthampstead Park and Sandhurst in 2025.