The Henley Royal Regatta was marred by sewage pollution from Thames Water, organisers have said, as they call for urgent action on our rivers.
The prestigious event, a rowing competition on the Thames that has been going since 1839, was held last week. Chairman of the event’s organisers, Sir Steve Redgrave said: “At Henley Royal Regatta, we are deeply concerned about the impact that sewage pollution is having on our beautiful river. Sewage pollution is harming the environment that we enjoy and respect so much.” The organisers’ concerns come after two local campaign groups – River Action and Henley Locals – carried out their own tests on the Thames at Henley every weekday over a four-week period and found the stretch of river used for the world famous regatta had dangerous bacteria.
The testing revealed, say the groups, that levels of E coli and intestinal enterococci increased significantly after a rainfall event on 20 June, with levels increasing fourfold, equivalent to an official bathing water status of “poor”. They argue this means that water posed a serious risk to human health during these times.
The tests carried out by the local groups also found that phosphate levels and nitrates along the Henley Mile throughout the four weeks were consistently double the levels considered ecologically damaging for rivers, which indicate, the group argues, that the River Thames at Henley is excessively nutrient enriched and in a very poor condition.
Organisers at the regatta, held last week, have spoken out about their concerns about the polluted state of the Thames and have called on the beleaguered company, Thames Water, to stop discharging sewage into the river.
Redgrave said: “I canoe from my home town of Marlow at Longridge. There’s a water treatment plant there and sometimes you can see from the colour of the water that there has been a discharge – it’s not somewhere I would ever want to fall in. We have to improve this situation so that we can preserve wildlife and make our rivers safe for everyone who uses them. That’s why I, and Henley Royal Regatta, are backing River Actions’ Charter for Rivers and throwing all our weight behind the campaign to end sewage pollution in the River Thames at Henley.”
The local population are now calling for Thames Water to engage responsibly with the community, undertake more regular and transparent testing of water at Henley, invest in the Henley sewage treatment works and install a number of mitigations, including UV treatment.
James Wallace, CEO of River Action said: “The results of this citizen science prove the dire state of England’s capital river. Wildlife along the Thames is collapsing and river users are at serious risk. The government and industry are treating our national life support system like a diseased open sewer while staring down the barrel of a freshwater emergency.”
Local swimmer Joanna Robb from the Henley Mermaids said: “We know the Thames intimately – we swim in it year round, in winter and summer and have swum its length from Castle Eaton to Marlow. But over the past five years we have been horrified by the scandal of sewage dumping into our precious river and its tributaries, caused by the water industry’s lack of investment in sewage infrastructure.
“We have witnessed the impacts of sewage pollution with our own eyes: sanitary products, sewage foam, sewage tide lines on swans and dead fish. We are contacted regularly by parents asking us if the river is clean enough for their children to swim in. It disgusts us that in one of the world’s richest countries in 2023, our children can’t even swim in our rivers without falling unwell.”
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Taking action to improve the health of rivers is a key focus for us and we have an upgrade planned for Henley sewage treatment works which will provide a major increase in the site’s treatment capacity and is expected to complete in 2025. We’re also currently supporting the local community’s application for a designated bathing water site in Henley.
“We regard all discharges of untreated sewage as unacceptable, and it’s understandable why the public are demanding more from water companies to do better. We recently announced our plans to invest £1.6bn on our sewage treatment works and networks over the next two years and are striving every day to reduce the discharge of untreated sewage into our rivers.”
