'Polluting giant Thames Water must end this stinking practice'

10,000 hours of sewage spills into London’s rivers last year as bills rise 12%

- Rachael Burford

SEWAGE flowed into London’s rivers for almost 10,000 hours last year, the Evening Standard can reveal today.

Startling figures show that waste was dumped into the capital’s waterways for more than 9,773 hours — up from the nearly 7,000 hours reported in 2022.

It comes as Thames Water customers saw bills rise an average of 12.1 per cent this week, with bosses at the troubled company refusing to rule out future increases of up to 40 per cent as it struggles with debts and interest payments.

MPs slammed the figures, accusing the Government of letting Thames Water get away with polluting while threatening to increase bills. Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney said it was “alarming”. The Liberal Democrat added: “For years, ministers have turned a blind eye while Thames Water has pumped billions of litres of filthy sewage into our rivers and streams.