Maria said,
“The Government has taken action to end the unacceptable environmental damage caused by storm overflow into our rivers. Backed up by £60 billion in capital investment - the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan places stringent targets on water companies to increase monitoring and prioritise massively reducing storm overflows.
“We are fortunate in Basingstoke that our sewage works are one of the best-performing facilities in the Thames Basin, having the capacity to treat 752 litres of wastewater per second. In normal times, around 250 litres of sewage pass through the plant per second, leaving a significant amount of headroom. However, in exceptional circumstances, such as the heavy rainfall we have seen recently, the system can become overwhelmed.
“On many occasions in the past, I have been clear that any storm overflows are totally unacceptable and Thames Water must plan to do all they can to prevent them from occurring in the future. Following reports of storm overflow discharges into the Loddon over the weekend, I have written to Thames Water to request an urgent update on the situation and have asked for information on what is being done to reduce any further discharges.
Maria added “The Loddon is one of our most important natural features and keeping it clean is of the utmost importance. I will continue to hold Thames Water to account and work with the Environment Agency and local action groups to ensure a cleaner, greener Basingstoke.”
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