Poor plumbing blights purity of area’s rivers

 

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 


Advertiser, Gazette & Herald Series 5 


www.northlondon-today.co.uk 


Twitter @NrthLondonNews 


Poor plumbing blights 
purity of area’s rivers 


By Denise Roland 

BAD plumbing is poisoning the borough’s rivers as sewage 
spews straight out into brooks from countless homes. 

Waste pipes across the borough are wrongly connected to 
rainwater pipes and carry the dregs from toilets, dishwashers 
and washing machines straight into Pymmes Brook and 
Salmons Brook. 

Theo Thomas, from waterways charity Thames 21, said: 
“This problem has been going on for decades, for as long as 
there have been houses with drains.” 

Parts of Salmons Brook and Pymmes Brook had the worst 
water quality in a study of eight of the feeder rivers of the 
River Lee by Thames 21. 

The report said that these tributaries have severe problems 
with water quality. They are blighted with faecal bacteria and 
chemicals from detergent, and the oxygen levels are too low 
for fish to survive. 

Mr Thomas said: “It is the homeowner’s legal responsibility 
to make sure their pipes are connected properly even if the 
current homeowner had nothing to do with the plumbing 
being installed.” 

Pipes from bathrooms and kitchens should all lead into a 
large black pipe and not the narrower grey one. 

Andy Love, MP for Edmonton, said: “It was a devil of a job 
to correct the same problem we had with the Pymmes Park 
lake a few years ago. Thames Water ended up building a 
bypass to redirect polluted water away from the lake. 

A team of 14 volunteers have been wading through the 
sewage-contaminated Pymmes Brook recently clearing out 
fridge-freezers, DVDs and even an old bottle of poison. 

Volunteer Marc Ellul, 21, said: “It’s such a shame that it’s 
come to this. The river used to have grand royal houses around 
it and now it has become a landfill site. 

“It’s brilliant that people are taking action into their own 
hands.” 



Poor water quality: Theo Thomas at Pymmes Brook 


Natalie Slater, from Thames Water, said: “We need home- 
owners to ensure their drains are connected to the sewer drains 
and not the surface water drains. Thames Water can put peo¬ 
ple in touch with a suitable plumber.” 

If you think your pipes might be misconnected, call Thames 
Water on 0845 9200 800. 

To get involved in the clean-up email aimee.felus 
@thames21. org. uk