12 million cubic metres of raw sewage dumped into Thames this summer

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 8th Oct 2004

Shocking new figures revealed today by London Assembly Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for health, Dee Doocey, shows that more than 12 million cubic metres of raw sewage was pumped into the Thames during the summer.

The new figures, revealed exclusively to Dee Doocey, show that between the 18th April and the 18th August 2004, 12,313,000 cubic metres of untreated sewage was released into the river. This not only includes the 2.6million cubic metres released in August, but more than 2.8million cubic metres released on one day alone in May.

Dee Doocey has called on the Ministers at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to reverse their decision to postpone the 'interceptor' tunnel that would prevent the need for raw sewage to be regularly pumped into the Thames. The delay in building the tunnel has already increased costs from an estimated £600m to an estimated £1.5bn.

Dee Doocey said:-

"These figures are an absolute disgrace. So much sewage being pumped into the Thames is bad for the environment, bad for human health and bad for the image of the Thames.

"The dumping of raw sewage into the Thames is something that happened in the Victorian era. It certainly should not be happening in the 21st century in one of the most developed capital city's in the world.

"It is incredible that despite all the predictions that global warming would cause more violent storms and heavier downpours, London's sewer system is totally unprepared and unable to cope and pumping millions of raw sewage into the Thames.

"There must be no more discussion, delay or dithering on building this interceptor tunnel. The longer Ministers drag their feet in making the inevitable decision to build the tunnel, the more this will ultimately cost the taxpayer to build."