Dedicated Staff Combat Household Sewage Dumping into Waterways

Specialist staff will be hired on a trial basis in west London to tackle illegal plumbing misconnections that are causing water pollution.

Faulty plumbing can cause household wastewater to flow into surface water drains instead of the sewage system. This pollution can spread through rivers, harm wildlife and damage local waterways.

Water and drainage misconnections are illegal, and property owners are responsible for fixing them, external.

Local authorities have enforcement powers to address these plumbing faults. The approach could be expanded across London if the trial, funded by the Mayor of London’s Office, proves successful.

Funding will target areas where misconnections are considered a significant environmental problem, including the Brent Basin region.

Ben Morris, founder of volunteer organisation Clean Up the Brent River (CURB), said there was “good reason” to believe that misconnections were “the biggest single cause of river pollution in London”.

He added: “We need stronger action from the council to address this problem.

“Councils have enforcement powers and should use them to require property owners to identify and correct illegal plumbing misconnections.”