Seven housing developments including two in the London Borough of Ealing have been identified as flushing foul water into West London’s rivers including the River Brent.
The two named are Research House in Perivale which runs into Ealing Golf Club outfall and Astha Court in Greenford which runs into Marnham Fields outfall.
An investigation by London Centric, which named the developments, followed an Environmental Information Request (EIR) last year by Brent River Park charity and the Friends of the River Crane Environment (FORCE) which revealed sewage was being dumped into the rivers.
All seven housing developments were built without proper connections to a sewer which has resulted in toilet flushing and other foul water going straight into the River Brent and River Crane.
According to the EIR request, Thames Water has known about one development of 14 homes in Ealing since 2018 while the others were discovered in 2021, 2023 and 2024. Thames Water confirmed that it is the “responsibility of the property owner” to fix the problem and said “we would urge freeholders or developers fitting new connections to make sure they’re plumbed in properly.”
The Brent River Park Charity and the Friends of the River Crane are calling on Ealing, Barnet and Harrow Councils, along with the Environment Agency, Thames Water, the Greater London Authority and the housing developers to work together to resolve these problems at these and other developments.
FORCE has said that none of the developers have fixed the issue and in one case, the costs are being passed directly onto the leaseholders.
Ben Morris, Brent River Park charity trustee and founder of the Clean Up the River Brent campaign (CURB), said: “We are horrified at the scale of the problem and the slow poisoning of the River Brent. The Mayor of London has quite rightly called for the restoration of our rivers. For this to happen, builders, building inspectors, water companies, local councils and the Environment Agency will all have to step up and take responsibility.”
“At present it is too easy to build recklessly and to refuse to put things right. This must change, or London’s rivers will never be healthy.”
An Ealing Council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS it is taking action and has served an enforcement notice on the duty holders of one of the blocks to comply and is also seeking compliance on the other building in Ealing.
They said: “Thames Water is primarily responsible for monitoring any household water misconnections, which occur where waste appliances like toilets, washing machines, and dishwashers are wrongly connected to surface water drainage which should only carry rainwater. This is monitored through surveys and inspections. Misconnections can happen when properties are extended, new appliances are fitted, or where brand new properties are constructed.
“In those cases, Thames Water contact the property owner or landlord to fix the problem. If they do not respond within a reasonable time frame, the matter is then referred to the council, which can take enforcement action. We then liaise closely with Thames Water and the property owner or landlord to swiftly resolve any issues.
“Thames Water have referred two blocks of flats to the Council with regards to misconnections. We have served the duty holders one of those blocks with an enforcement notice requiring them to repair the misconnection issue within a set time frame. It is a criminal offence to not comply with a council’s enforcement notice, and we will continue monitor the case. With the other block, we are liaising with Thames Water and the building’s duty holders to bring it into compliance.”
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, in November 2024, a spokesperson for Thames Water said: “Households and buildings which are connected to the wrong drainage pipe can have a serious impact on the environment. Most misconnections will have been done entirely by accident but is the responsibility of the property owner, which is why we would urge freeholders or developers fitting new connections to make sure they’re plumbed in properly.
“We have identified seven buildings in the Brent and Crane area which are misconnected, and have made those responsible aware to ensure all wastewater is taken to our sewage works where it can be safely treated. We have a programme of work to help identify and investigate misconnections and we also fund local projects across our region, which have been a great way to increase awareness of the issue, while involving communities to take stewardship and help manage their local environments.”
