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‘New Forest used as open sewer’ claim

by Faith Eckersall
An environmental charity has accused Southern Water of treating the New Forest as ‘an open sewer’.
Freedom of Information requests by the charity River Action, whose team includes the Undertones’ frontman and water campaigner, Feargal Sharkey, revealed evidence of more than 250 incidences of sewage discharge.
In an open letter to Southern Water, River Action accused the company of discharging raw sewage into: “The two principal river catchments of the New Forest, the Lymington and Beaulieu Rivers, on more than 250 occasions and a total period of just under 1,900 hours.”
It said that according to Environment Agency data: “Reported discharges by Southern Water sewage treatment plants have now occurred, into these two rivers, on no less than 900 occasions over the last three reported years.”
The charity said the most frequent discharges over this period occurred at Brockenhurst Wastewater Treatment Works on the Lymington River, and Lyndhurst Wastewater Treatment Works on the Beaulieu River, accounting for well over 50 per cent of total discharges.
It is particularly concerned about discharges into the Beaulieu River at Lyndhurst – 551 hours of discharge in 2021 – given, it says, that the discharge pipe is located close to the river’s source.
“In addition, following stream restoration work, high flow conditions see discharged pollutants spilling onto adjacent grazing lawns a short distance downstream – these lawns are popular locations for grazing livestock and recreational users to congregate, raising concerns about health risks,” said River Action.
The charity’s founder and chairman, Charles Watson, said: “As tens of thousands of visitors enjoy the wonders of the New Forest, it just seems inconceivable that Europe’s favourite National Park is being treated like an open sewer by Southern Water.”
He urged the company to disclose immediately, what measure it plans to take to ‘end this abuse of the country’s favourite national park.’
The news comes just over a year after Southern Water was slapped with a record £90million fine, after pleading guilty to thousands of discharges of sewage, which polluted rivers and coastal waters in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex.
The court case, which was the largest criminal investigation in the Environment Agency’s 25-year history, saw the presiding judge, the Honourable Mr Justice Johnson, criticise the company’s ‘shocking and wholesale disregard for the environment, for the precious and delicate ecosystems along the North Kent and Solent coastlines, for human health and for the fishers and other legitimate businesses that depend on the vitality of the coastal waters.’
Southern Water confirmed it had received River Action’s letter.
In a statement attributed to Dr Nick Mills, head of the Storm Overflow Task Force, the company said its CEO, Lawrence Gosden, would be ‘delighted to meet this important new charity’.

Storm Overflow Task Force
“We are one of the key stewards of river water quality and are investing record amounts to protect and enhance the environment,” it said.
“In particular our Storm Overflow Task Force is leading the industry in our pioneering approach to reducing releases during heavy rain.
“Nature based solutions and working with partners including NGOs, land owners, councils and businesses is the key to reducing the amount of water getting into our system and slowing the flow so our systems can cope.”
An update on the Storm Overflow Task Force can be found at: southernwater.co.uk/media/7197/5969_storm_overflow_taskforce_update_v2.pdf

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