Raw sewage has spilled into the Emm Brook this week, and Wokingham MP Clive Jones is calling for Thames Water to be placed under government control after research said there have been 39,000 spills of untreated sewage since 2021.
Mr Jones says there were 78 'illegal sewage dumps' in Wokingham. There are three sewage treatment works within Wokingham Borough: Wargrave, Arborfield S, Ash Ridge, and outfalls over the border in New Mill and Easthampstead Park — none of these are among the worst, according to Prof Peter Hammond.
Clive Jones said: "This research confirms what my constituents have long suspected - Thames Water is failing its customers and our environment.
"We are seeing an environmental and financial disaster on an industrial scale. Enough is enough.
"The Government has pulled its punches when instead, they should immediately place Thames Water under Special Administration to protect customers and ensure every penny of investment goes into fixing the broken infrastructure, instead of lining the pockets of shareholders and the offshore vulture funds that have dragged Thames Water to its knees.
"Liberal Democrats are demanding a new mutual ownership model for water companies to put the environment and people ahead of profit.
"The days of water companies polluting our rivers with impunity must end now."
Thames Water's publicly available map shows all three Wokingham facilities with a clean bill of health. However, a storm overflow into the Emm Brook at Easthampstead Park in Bracknell showed an alert earlier this week, reporting a discharge between 19.30pm and 20.30pm on Sunday March 8. That means there could still be sewage in the watercourse as it flows north-west from Easthampstead toward Wokingham and into the River Loddon.
A key on the Thames Water map shows Easthampstead Park sewage treatment works had an upgrade in March 2025, reducing phosphorus levels entering the river to below an average level of 3mg/l*. An upgrade is planned for Ash Ridge (near Bell Foundry Lane), and work at Wargrave Sewage Treatment Works is due to be completed this year.
Thames Water expects Easthampstead Park and Ash Ridge to meet all government targets for storm overflows by 2030-2035; Wargrave STW is not expected to meet them until 2040-2045. Arborfield STW has not discharged into Barkham Brook since February 19, but its next upgrade is not due until 2030 and it is not expected to meet all government targets until 2045-2050. The New Mill discharge point near Finchampstead last discharged into the River Blackwater on March 3 at 8pm and is expected to meet targets between 2030-2035.
A Thames Water spokesperson said: "We have not validated Professor Hammond's report, so we are unable to comment on the stated conclusions.
They added that improving river health is a key focus and that over the next five years they are delivering the most significant upgrade to their wastewater network in 150 years, including increasing treatment capacity, reducing storm discharges and introducing nutrient-reduction schemes. "Our half-year results showed a 20% reduction in pollutions, reflecting the impact of our focused improvement programmes," the spokesperson said.
They also warned: "A Special Administration Regime doesn't fix Thames Water's challenges. It will delay the delivery of improvement for our customers and the environment. It will be disruptive, add risk and uncertainty, increase costs, hinder our operational turnaround and does not fix the balance sheet.
"In addition, SAR does not change the regulatory requirements on the business, and any exit from a SAR would require a regulatory landscape that supports investment."
Residents can check the current status of sewage treatment works on an interactive map: http://thameswater.co.uk/edm-map
Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter
New Resource Base Planned for Victoria Park Nursery
