The River Roding often feels overlooked, but a recent meeting in Parliament gave it the attention it deserves, says Councillor Jo Blackman, Cabinet Member for Environment and Neighbourhoods
In July, Ilford South MP Jas Athwal hosted a meeting on pollution in the Roding, bringing together key representatives. Paul Powlesland from the River Roding Trust presented compelling evidence of pollution linked to sewage outfalls. Thames Water and the Environment Agency (EA) were asked to provide updates on how they are tackling the problem.
I first raised concerns about sewage pollution with Thames Water more than five years ago, alongside Jas Athwal when he was Leader of Redbridge Council. Both of us expressed our disappointment that so little progress has been made since then. One illegal outfall on the Alders Brook has been addressed following investment by Thames Water, but the River Roding Trust has identified a number of other sewage spills that still require action. Thames Water told the meeting it is developing plans to reduce the duration of sewage spills by 50% by 2030, with further improvements dependent on future funding.
The company also confirmed there are 30 sewage outfalls in the area, of which 12 have permits and 18 have permit applications pending. It’s disappointing the EA appears willing to issue further permits rather than prioritising enforcement action. Granting additional permits risks legitimising an unacceptable practice that is incredibly harmful to rivers, wildlife and people, something local residents are increasingly concerned about. The EA confirmed it is preparing enforcement action relating to one outfall, which we believe is the site fixed last year.
We also discussed the issue of misconnections, where appliances are incorrectly connected to the clean water drainage system, rather than the foul sewer network. Thames Water has been monitoring a number of locations to identify these problems, which are likely to be contributing to pollution. However, only a small number of cases have been passed to the council for enforcement. We are keen to work more closely with Thames Water to identify these issues more quickly.
The council has also committed £3m to improving water quality in local lakes, many of which are connected to the Roding. This funding has enabled the removal of silt from three lakes and the installation of aeration equipment to improve water quality, as well as tackling pollution at Fairlop and exploring nature-based solutions such as opening up a buried stream to improve natural filtration.
I will continue pressing Thames Water and the EA for stronger action. The involvement of MPs is welcome because we need improvements to the governance of water companies to ensure they stop polluting our rivers.
Jo Blackman is a Labour Party councillor for Wanstead Village. Email jo.blackman@redbridge.gov.uk
For more information on the Roding, visit wnstd.com/riverroding
