Angling, community and conservation groups rally against sewage pollution in the River Test

Today’s speeches:

Jim Murray, Actor, Activist Angler and Angling Trust Ambassador:
I’m sure we’ve all got better things to do on a Monday morning than to be stood outside a failing sewage plant, but it sadly falls to us to be the custodians of this river. Anglers, river keepers, publicans, restaurateurs, local community and beyond, anyone who cares for the environment unite here today to raise our voices against the long-standing issue of raw, untreated sewage being dumped into the once pristine SSSI chalk stream, perhaps the most famous chalk stream of them all – the river Test.

For years, Southern Water has neglected the responsibility to upgrade the Fullerton site, disregarding the impact on livelihoods and the environment. While their business and asset management plans are currently under scrutiny by Ofwat, it is heartbreaking to see no mention of addressing this pressing issue. The only plan is to continue to let the shit flow like it has been doing for years. It is the public duty of the Environment Agency to determine the legality of our water companies’ actions, but we stand here today to assert that what they are doing is morally, ethically and fundamentally wrong.

As fishermen, we pay our rod licences because we are told it will support the Environment Agency in regulating and protecting our rivers. It is an investment we make to ensure the preservation of this precious chalk stream. Similarly, as paying customers of Southern Water, we expect them to fulfil their obligation of treating our sewage properly, that is what we are paying them to do, that is our contract with them, and they are breaking it.

Given the significance of the river Test as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, it is imperative that Natural England takes a proactive stance in ensuring its protection. It is arguably the most protected river in the country on paper, and yet the dumping of raw sewage is allowed to continue posing a direct threat to the delicate balance of this rare ecosystem and the species that depend on it such as the now endangered Atlantic salmon; and yet to date Natural England have remained completely silent and are also failing us in their duties.

We gather not only to express our concerns but also to demand accountability and action. We urge the Environment Agency to prioritise the investigation into the practices of Southern Water and to ensure no further harm. We call upon Southern Water to take immediate steps to upgrade the Fullerton site, ensuring that the sewage we pay them to treat no longer contaminates our rivers. We also demand that Natural England does its job in protecting this rare national gem so that our children and the generations that follow it can hopefully enjoy it.

Finally let our presence here today serve as a robust reminder to Southern Water and all those involved that we will not remain silent while our environment and livelihoods are abused. Together, we have the power to bring about change, to protect our rivers, and to hold those responsible accountable.

James Buckley, River Keeper, Hampshire River Keepers Association
We are here today to show our enthusiasm and passion we all have for this river. The hard work and time that so many of us put into the river could all be for nothing If the pollution continues to damage this brilliant ecosystem we all love and depend on.

It Is our way of life, to keepers up and down the valley it is not just our jobs but how we live. We work hard to protect, improve, and care for this beautiful chalk stream we are proud to call home.

For those that don’t know, the river keeper that watch over the river are its protectors, we run fisheries to provide the best trout fishing in the world. We improve habitat along this SSSI river for all wildlife not just the fish. And in turn the revenue the fishing makes we can use some of that to put back into the environment, improving the river and therefore make the fishing better. It’s a big cycle with only positive outcomes. We tend to the banks, trees and the weed in the river, all to encourage growth and habitat for wildlife. The river keepers are what makes this river so special for all that come to visit.

Today we face huge problems that will affect the future of this river and how it is looked after. The obvious pollution that Southern Water is dumping into the river is causing a massive threat to the health of the river and all wildlife that depends on it. It is clear to see and smell and trust me it stinks at the exit of Fullerton outflow pipe. It also affects the river keepers of today and very importantly the river keepers of the future, lives and jobs depend on this river and we all stand against the usage of this precious river as an open sewer.
It is obvious to all that even though we look to the future, how we can continue to improve the river and continue to learn about this amazing ecosystem, Southern Water does not care. Southern Water show no sign in their new business plan for the next five years they are even going to attempt to stop this outrageous dumping of sewage into the river therefore continuing to cause an increasing amount of damage to this wonderful river. The longer this problem goes on the harder it will be for the river to recover.

I want to end by saying that I love my job, I want to continue to be able to do this for years to come. This is something I am passionate about, ready to grow and learn with the river and do the best I can to protect it.

Martin Salter, Head of Policy, Angling Trust
On Wednesday last (March 13) Southern Water wrote to the Angling Trust claiming there have been no sewage leaks from Fullerton in the last five years. This is ridiculous as there has clearly been an ongoing leak happening right now  – you can see it and smell it. Look on the riverbed and see how it is covered in sewage fungus. We have undeniable video evidence from the landowner. He has also been reporting incidents to Southern Water and the Environment Agency since 2019.

In recent weeks, several ammonia tests have been conducted by the Angling Trust and Hampshire River Keepers all of which are high – well over 3ppm (fish gill damage starts at less than 2ppm).

The Angling Trust also conducted a lab-tested sample which showed elevated levels of coliforms and E.coli. Southern Water is in denial about what is happening – they repeatedly claim no leaks but that’s absurd. By Friday they backed down and admitted that spills had been occurring.

What does this tell us? Operator self monitoring is a farce and must end now. Time and time again the water industry has proved it cannot be trusted to mark its own homework. And the poster boy for this litany of lies, deceit and criminal deception? Yes, you’ve guessed it, Southern Water! The same company who, three years ago, racked up an industry record fine of £90 million for nearly 7,000 incidents of dumping sewage and deliberately falsifying their spillage data. The same company who just last month were fined £333,000 for killing thousands of fish down in the Shawford Stream through sewage pollution. The same company who now expects us to believe that they are taking action to “ensure our assets are operating as they should”.

How can they be?  – these creaking and leaking sewage works and surrounding infrastructure are simply not fit for purpose. And worse still, they have no plans for any upgrades to Fullerton until at least 2030.

So we  are calling for three immediate actions to rectify this dire situation, including:

• Immediate Upgrades to Fullerton Wastewater Works: It is unacceptable that Southern Water has excluded Fullerton from its upcoming five-year business plan for infrastructure upgrades. This neglect must be rectified immediately.
• Ofwat Intervention: The government’s water regulator, Ofwat, must reject Southern Water’s current business plan until it includes comprehensive upgrades at Fullerton.

• Ban on Tanker Discharges: The practice of discharging surplus sewage from treatment works back into the river is unacceptable and must cease.

As the General Election approaches failing water companies can expect more direct action like today to highlight the scandal of what is being done to our rivers. Anglers, ramblers, bird watchers, concerned residents and their local representatives need to come together like we are today to force change. These rivers are the lifeblood of our countryside, and they need our support now more than ever.

Alistair Dougall, Test Valley Pan Parish Pollution Group
People throughout the Test Valley are becoming increasingly concerned about the pollution of the River Test, but many people are still unaware of just how frequent discharges of untreated sewage into the river have become or how serious the consequences are for the river’s ecology. The River Test is one of the world’s most famous and cherished chalk streams. It is the very lifeblood of the Test Valley, and it is under threat as never before. The threat is not just to fish, insect and other wildlife, it is also a threat to a vast range of businesses and livelihoods – from fishing through to hospitality and tourism – and it is also an increasing threat to public health.

A few days ago, Mark Lee (Test Valley Borough Council’s Environmental Health Manager) sent out a notification stating “we currently have elevated levels of dilute untreated sewage effluent entering the River Test from the Fullerton Wastewater Treatment Works.” The notification went on: “We are concerned that this is a potential risk to human health.”

We contacted Mr Lee at the end of last week to see if the risk was ongoing and he was not able to tell us. It is totally unacceptable for the river water to be polluted in this way and equally unacceptable that the authorities do not appear to know themselves when it is safe of not – for humans and their pets let alone for the fish and insect life.

There are numerous incidents of Southern Water over-pumping into the Test and we have also had several incidents of so-called “dry spills” when, as happened for example on 14th June last year, untreated sewage was discharged into the river even when there had been a prolonged dry spell. This problem is not new. Back in July 2021, Lord Oates raised the issue of water companies pumping sewage into our rivers and illustrated how it was ‘having a devastating impact on nature’. In November 2021, David Profumo likened chalk streams like the River Test to the ‘English equivalent of rain forests’ and talked about how, even in 2021, water companies like Southern Water were dumping untreated sewage into our waterways ‘on a Third World scale.’

In the intervening period, have things got any better? No! They have got considerably worse!

Houghton Parish Council is now buying a probe that will be sited in the river at a place where it is still one body of water. The probe will be permanent. It will monitor the water quality continuously and send out alerts when safe levels of pollutants are exceeded. This will give us hard data and will enable us to alert our parishioners when the levels are hazardous. We already know of many incidents when dogs have become ill having swum in or drunk from the river. In the warmer months, of course, children also often play or swim in parts of the river. It needs to be safe for them to do so.

We have now set up a pan parish group of parish councils along the Test. Our first meeting was held last month and was attended by representatives of other parishes, river keepers and by other experts such as consultant ecologists. We heard numerous horror stories of Southern Water discharging sewage into the river and of the consequences this is having on fish and insect life and the wider ecology. We also heard disturbing stories of the failure of the Environment Agency to adequately monitor matters or to enforce the existing regulations.

The Pan Parish River Pollution Forum currently comprises 10 parishes along the Test south of this wastewater treatment plant at Fullerton and we will welcome other parish councils who would like to join the pan-parish group to work with us on sharing information such as data from our river probe, data collected by citizen scientists in other parishes and information from river keepers. We want to work together to speak up loudly and with a united voice. We are both angry and frightened by what is being done to this iconic river. We need to make everyone aware of what is going on. We intend to lobby our elected representatives at all levels, as well as Southern Water, the Environment Agency and other bodies to take action to protect the river and to stop these discharges.

For too many years, Southern Water has been taking profits and paying out dividends while failing to invest in the infrastructure needed to deal properly with flooding, drainage, and sewage water. It is a scandal, and we are all now paying the price. We want deeds not words, action to enforce existing regulations and, indeed, to change the law to stop the killing of the River Test before it is too late.

Paul Vignaux, Director, Test & Itchen Association
Southern Water is pumping effluent into the river in wet and dry periods and not just here at Fullerton. All aquatic organisms in our chalk streams need cold, clean water with good levels of dissolved oxygen.

Currently salmon, trout and other fish eggs, along with invertebrate larvae are developing in the gravel and the margins. This plume of effluent is smothering the eggs and the invertebrates and starving them of oxygen as it is gets broken down by algae. The coup de grace comes with the death of the algal bloom which creates a second spiral of de-oxygenation and further die off of aquatic organisms. This is a SSSI river and Southern Water are killing the life in it and bringing economic ruin to the communities who depend on it.

It is illegal to discharge untreated sewage in rivers in other than exceptional weather – and ground water infiltration is not a defence. The reason it keeps happening is lack of investment by water companies. Thirty years of cheating by water companies and a lack of enforcement by EA and Ofwat. Every year since privatisation, Southern Water will have promised Ofwat they have had sufficient resources – money from customers, YOU and me, to comply with the law. They clearly haven’t made the investments in the network. We took government to court last summer and the judge made it clear the law had to be complied with at the water company’s and their shareholders’ expense.

We now need and expect Southern Water, Ofwat and the EA to get on with it – and start now. It is not a matter for the next round of regulatory funding. It is a matter of complying with the law now.