Thames Water has apologised after a leak saw sewage flood into the River Chess.
The London drainage company said a waste pump at their Chesham Sewage Works became blocked which subsequently caused a leak which flooded neighbouring land and flowed into the nearby river.
The owner of the contaminated land phoned Thames Water and the River Chess Association (RCA).
The chairman of the RCA went to the leak site to inspect the damage. He said:
“If we didn’t contact Thames Water they’d be oblivious to the problem. We’ve given up a lot of time and had meetings to try and prevent this from happening, but we can’t accept their excuses any more.
“We’ve had several major events recently, I know we’ve had a lot of rain and snow but not on levels to cause these sorts of problems.
“We’ve asked Thames Water for its plan of how it’ll ensure this doesn’t happen again, we want to work with them but I have to say our patience is wearing thin.”
Thames Water believe that the pump was stopped by an accumulation of wet wipes which should not have been in the sewer system.
Thames Water spokesperson Craig Rance commented:
“This is hugely frustrating and deeply regrettable. We’d remind our customers not to dispose of anything other than human waste and loo roll down drains.”