The London Assembly claims that instances of sewage flowing into London’s rivers in 2023 were almost five times the amount for the same period the previous year.

The London Assembly used published Thames Water data which monitors discharge from 118 sites across the Thames Water network feeding into 33 rivers and waterways.

The data shows that:

• between April and December 2023, Thames Water released sewage into London’s waterways for 6,590 hours, 11 minutes and 54 seconds – a five-fold increase on the same period the previous year.
• in just six days, between 25 December and 31 December 2023, sewage was discharged across the Thames Water network for 128 hours and 12 minutes, equivalent to 18 hours every day. The discharges include both treated sewage and overflows of untreated sewage and storm water into rivers during high rainfall.

The Mayor has written to the new Thames Water CEO, urging him to get a grip on the situation and ensure that London’s rivers are clean, healthy, and protected from sewer spills

The Mayor is calling on ministers to stop turning a blind eye to the pollution in our rivers, demanding they introduce tougher penalties for water companies which pollute rivers

The Mayor said – ‘While we’re making huge progress cleaning up London’s air, it’s a scandal that levels of sewage in our rivers are increasing at the same time.’