The pamphlet promotes a community that is suitable for families and situated in a peaceful green area, with convenient access to fast transportation connections to London.

The inhabitants of a 1,500-home development in Horley, Surrey have established a WhatsApp group, which highlights an unappealing aspect of the neighborhood: “Stop the Poo.”

The residents formed a group out of desperation in response to the poor condition of the sewage treatment facility on the River Mole in Horley. This was brought to light during a series of storms in the winter, prompting them to seek answers from Thames Water. The development in the area was located next to the facility.

According to Keith Barlow, the chairperson of the resident association in Westvale Park, heavy rainfall not only causes untreated sewage to overflow into the river through storm drains, but it also overflows the storm tanks and spills onto the public footpath. This sewage then floods into the recreation area where families and pet owners walk, and Barlow has personally witnessed solid waste floating by outside the perimeter fence.

The conditions in Horley can be seen as a representation of the events occurring within Thames Water as a whole.

The largest privately-owned water company in England is facing financial strain due to debts totaling £14.7bn. The company is struggling to repair deteriorating infrastructure that has been neglected for many years and is also dealing with a tarnished reputation as Ofwat investigators look into possible illegal sewage discharges from multiple treatment plants, including Horley. The government is preparing an emergency plan in case the company goes bankrupt, but Thames is attempting to secure a bailout from shareholders to prevent a takeover.

Barlow and other individuals have been investigating Thames Water regarding the contamination of sewage in their area. This scrutiny has uncovered the vulnerability of the company, particularly during Barlow’s requested visit to the Horley facility.

“It was a truly horrifying sight,” stated Barlow. “The building resembled a decaying wreckage from the 1950s. I was not prepared for it to be in such a dire state. It operates solely on telemetry without any staff present. As we explored, we were shocked to see sewage sludge spilling out of a damaged copper storage tank.”

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Upon being questioned by Barlow about efforts to combat pollution, authorities indicated that they had placed sandbags along the inner perimeter of the treatment plant. It was evident, however, that the sewage was still able to seep through these improvised obstacles.

During the winter season, Thames added additional sandbags to the pile in hopes of preventing flooding. However, the sewage continued to seep through, contaminating the footpath. Tests on a nearby ditch showed elevated levels of E coli.

If Ofwat finishes investigating sewage treatment works all over the country, Thames could face fines worth millions of pounds. This will worsen the already challenging situation for the company, which is trying to get a £2.5bn investment from shareholders to prevent going into administration.

Theo Thomas from the campaign group London Waterkeeper, who has been advocating for transparency in Thames Water’s sewage discharges, commented that it is not shocking that the river is in a deteriorating state today. He has been working on this issue for almost a decade.

It was a lengthy process that spanned over five years and involved potential legal action from Thomas, but the company eventually agreed to release real-time data on its sewage discharges through storm overflows into the Thames and its tributary rivers in 2023.

In the past six months, the company has disclosed an additional 142 storm overflows that were not previously acknowledged.

Thomas stated that there are many unknowns regarding Thames Water and its assets. He also mentioned that they are far from being completely transparent. The lack of accountability and transparency has led Thames Water to a challenging situation, with regulators and the government sharing the blame.

Last year, a lack of transparency was revealed when Judge Christine Laing KC reprimanded Thames Water for intentionally deceiving the Environment Agency. As a result, the company was fined £3.34m for causing severe pollution in the River Mole near Crawley.

During dry weather, a pump at Crawley sewage treatment works diverted sewage to its storm tank for 21 hours, resulting in the release of millions of tonnes of untreated sewage into the river. This led to the death of thousands of fish.

In 2017, pollution occurred shortly after Macquarie, an Australian investment firm, sold off its remaining shares in Thames Water. This decision led to a significant increase in debts, reaching almost £11 billion, and the distribution of dividends totaling £2.8 billion. During this time, Macquarie also implemented cost-cutting measures and neglected necessary investments, causing problems within Thames Water.

While Thames Water struggles to stay afloat, their outlook has shifted from the confident years under Macquarie. In their most recent business strategy, the company acknowledges that they have been heavily relying on existing assets and expresses their desire to improve the deteriorating state of their aging infrastructure. This deterioration has occurred over decades as the company has opted to repair rather than replace their assets.

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After over 30 years of accumulating debts exceeding £60 billion and distributing £53 billion in dividends, the privatised sector in England is facing significant strain. While the industry is pledging to make a record-breaking investment of £96 billion, customers will be expected to cover the cost through raised bills.

Nigel Bond from River Mole River Watch, in partnership with Barlow, expressed concerns about the pollution of our rivers and the unethical profiteering that has been occurring. He believes the money should have been invested in treatment plants such as Horley instead.

Barlow is worried that amidst the chaos and plans for the possible downfall and acquisition of Thames Water, the needs of his community will be overlooked.

“We are striving to create a loud impact in order to be first in line for any potential investments to prevent this threat to public health and the environment if anything were to occur with Thames Water,” he stated.

This corporation has been permitted to manipulate the system, resulting in harm to the public and the environment.

A representative from Thames Water expressed that we do not consider any discharges without treatment to be acceptable. We are dedicated to finding ways to prevent these discharges from being necessary, with guidance from our regulators. Our company has released plans to enhance over 250 of our sewage treatment facilities. This includes our Horley sewage treatment works, which will increase its capacity to handle incoming sewage and decrease the occurrence of untreated discharges in rainy conditions. Construction for the upgrade is planned to commence in 2025.

Currently, we have put in a temporary pump and are collaborating with contracted professionals to construct a new barrier that will help prevent flooding onto the pedestrian path. We understand the significance of this issue and are consistently keeping local officials and advocates informed on our advancements.

Source: theguardian.com