Call on Government to hold a referendum on water ownership

Thu 9 Apr, 22:58

Thanks Anne. It's brilliant to hear there's so much going on already.

Clearly, the more of us who raise this with Sean Woodcock, the better. I've drafted a letter that I'll be sending to him below. This addresses the urgent issue of the current deal that's being brokered and asks him specifically what he will be doing.

For anyone reading this, please feel free to lift and shift/copy and improve on this..but please send him something!

Dear Sean Woodcock,

I am a resident of Charlbury in your constituency and am writing to raise urgent concerns about sewage pollution affecting our local rivers, particularly within the River Evenlode catchment.

The most recent data shows both ongoing pollution and a pattern of ecological decline:

The River Evenlode and connected Thames water bodies are officially classified as having “poor ecological status”, failing to meet the legal standard of “good” (Defra Data Services)

Local monitoring reports that the river has visibly degraded in recent years, including declines in water clarity, aquatic plants, and fish populations (Evenlode Catchment Partnership)

Sewage discharges remain frequent: in 2025 alone, individual Evenlode sites recorded hundreds of hours of raw sewage dumping (e.g. 356 hours at Combe sewage treatment works) (Top of the Poops)

Across the Thames Water network, sewage discharge hours rose sharply to nearly 300,000 hours in 2024, a roughly 50% increase on the previous year.

This evidence indicates not only that pollution is continuing, but that river health is deteriorating over time despite regulatory oversight.

I am therefore extremely concerned by reports that Thames Water may be allowed to avoid fines and operate under relaxed regulatory conditions until 2030 as part of a restructuring deal.

Please could you confirm the following:

Will the Government explicitly rule out any agreement that allows pollution levels to worsen, including through weaker enforcement or delayed targets?

Will you press for legally binding, year-on-year reductions in sewage discharges in the Evenlode and wider Thames catchment?

Will you oppose any arrangement where fines are replaced by unenforceable “undertakings” without demonstrated ecological improvement?

What specific actions will you take to ensure infrastructure investment delivers measurable improvements in river health locally?

If these guarantees cannot be secured, will you support alternative measures such as special administration to protect the environment?

Given the clear evidence of ecological decline, I would appreciate a response that addresses each of these points directly and specifically.

I would also welcome details of any parliamentary actions you intend to take on behalf of constituents affected by river pollution.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Address]