A Environmental Information Request (EIR) to Thames Water has revealed that two housing developments in Ealing have been flushing sewage directly into tributaries of the River Thames through the River Brent.
As well as Ealing, five other housing developments – three in Barnet and two in Harrow have also been named in the EIR which was raised by Friends of the River Crane Environment (FORCE). The response from Thames Water only names the boroughs but not the location of the homes.
All seven housing developments were built without proper connections to a sewer which has resulted in toilet flushing and other foul water going straight into the River Brent and River Crane.
According to the EIR request, Thames Water has known about one development of 14 homes in Ealing since 2018 while the others were discovered in 2021, 2023 and 2024. Thames Water confirmed that it is the “responsibility of the property owner” to fix the problem and said “we would urge freeholders or developers fitting new connections to make sure they’re plumbed in properly.”
The Brent River Park Charity and the Friends of the River Crane are calling on Ealing, Barnet and Harrow Councils, along with the Environment Agency, Thames Water, the Greater London Authority and the housing developers to work together to resolve these problems at these and other developments.
FORCE has said that none of the developers have fixed the issue and in one case, the costs are being passed directly onto the leaseholders.
FORCE Trustee Rob Gray said: “We were appalled at the extent of this pollution problem and by the approach shown by the developers and/or freeholders – in first allowing this gross misconnection failure to be constructed, then failing to resolve it for up to six years, and finally (in at least one case) apparently seeking to pass the costs of repair on to their leaseholders.”
Ben Morris, Brent River Park charity trustee and founder of Clean Up the River Brent (CURB), commented: “This is a catastrophic failure of regulation. It is now possible to build, market and sell properties that flush sewage straight into our rivers, and no-one spots it until it is too late.”
Mr Morris added: “The regulatory system has broken down, and nobody wants to bear the costs of looking after our environment. Sewage pollution kills wildlife and turns healthy rivers into disgusting drains. This is where the sewage scandal and the leasehold scandal overlap. Developers cut costs, the rivers get polluted and by the time anybody finds out, it’s left to the residents to pick up the bill.”
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, a Thames Water spokesperson said: “Households and buildings which are connected to the wrong drainage pipe can have a serious impact on the environment. Most misconnections will have been done entirely by accident but is the responsibility of the property owner, which is why we would urge freeholders or developers fitting new connections to make sure they’re plumbed in properly.
“We have identified seven buildings in the Brent and Crane area which are misconnected, and have made those responsible aware to ensure all wastewater is taken to our sewage works where it can be safely treated. We have a programme of work to help identify and investigate misconnections and we also fund local projects across our region, which have been a great way to increase awareness of the issue, while involving communities to take stewardship and help manage their local environments.”
 to Thames Water has revealed that two housing developments in Ealing have been flushing sewage directly into tributaries of the River Thames through the River Brent. ){kind=link}