Britain’s “Sewage shame” continues to worsen, according to campaigners who warn that the drinking water, for up to 2 million Londoners, may be at risk of contamination.
Campaigners fear that a rare chalk aquifer in the Colne Valley Regional Park has
been Contaminated heavily with carcinogenic chemicals and raw sewage.
Colne Valley Biteback is calling for changes to the way our natural watercourses are protected locally. The
group warns that the water still supplies up to 2 million Londoners with drinking water. They also shared concerns regarding piledriving at Hs2 construction sites across the region, saying they feared the drilling would “severely worsen the issue and cause irreversible damage to the local ecosystem.”
Hs2 Ltd attempted to alleviate concerns in a statement previously issued to the Hillingdon Herald saying: “Hs2 takes our responsibilities seriously and we have a world-leading team of engineers, hydrogeologists, and environmental scientists in place to ensure the construction operation affords the right protection to the environment and is completed as safely and efficiently as possible. There has been no significant effect on the aquifer since the start of work.”
In a day of action, environmental groups organized protests against the current system of waterway management. Dozens of Colne Valley Biteback activists gathered to hold a demonstration in Parliament Square, on Monday the 13th of march 2023. Attendees could be heard sharing their concerns via a megaphone, as members of the Royal family met for commonwealth celebrations just yards away. In a colourful display protesters known as “The Red Rebels” dressed head to toe in read robes put on a sombre display aimed at raising awareness of the issue. The red rebels have previously made appearances at environmental events, most notably attending a number of protests held by environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion.
The Group is demanding answers from the government and wants MPs to take immediate action to prevent further damage to the water source. In a statement, Mark, who declined to give his surname, a representative of Colne Valley Biteback, told The Hillingdon Herald: “This Builds upon an underlying issue of pollutants in our waterways, dumping of sewage overflow is often permitted by legislation. However just because something is legal it doesn’t mean it is right this really is Britain’s sewage shame. Londoners would be horrified if they knew the full extent of the situation, they are drinking this water and that leaves me with serious concerns over the longer-term impact on both people’s health and the health of our environment as a whole.
“We also have concerns over Piledriving taking place at hs2 sites across the park and fear this is furthering the contamination and severely worsening the issue. Recently a huge bubbling puddle of foamy liquid appeared at a local golf course and it turned out this was caused by work undertaken as part of the HS2 project. It’s my opinion that this greatly increases the risk of severe contamination that could stop us from accessing clean drinking water from the natural wonder that is the chalk aquifer”.
The Colne Valley Aquifer is one of many contaminated bodies of water with just 14% of English rivers rated as ‘Good’ in tests carried out by the environment agency in 2016.
*NEWER DATA IS NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO NO TESTS TAKING PLACE IN 2021.
Environment Agency Chair Emma Howard Boyd shared some of the concerns raised by campaigners saying: “Water quality has plateaued since 2016, which isn’t good enough. Today just 14% of our rivers are rated good. To get where we want to be, everyone needs to improve how they use water now. That means the public, farmers, construction projects, and water companies. We all have a responsibility in keeping our water clean for future generations”.
Comments