Feargal Sharkey has promised to donate £1,000 to charity if Thames Water CEO Chris Weston drinks a glass of water from West London’s River Brent, which has been severely polluted by raw sewage. Recent tests revealed dangerous pollution levels, including nitrate readings three times above the acceptable limit and E. coli levels more than ten times higher than those deemed safe by the Environment Agency.
The pollution is linked to misconnected pipes, with raw sewage spilling into the river from at least 100 homes. Thames Water acknowledged the issue and has identified seven properties with misconnected pipes, urging property owners to fix the problem.
CEO Chris Weston, who was awarded a £195,000 bonus despite a 40% rise in pollution incidents, blamed outdated infrastructure for the crisis. Thames Water, already £16 billion in debt, is seeking an additional £3 billion to stay afloat, and is facing a decision from regulators about a proposed 59% bill increase over five years.
Sharkey, known for his environmental activism, criticized Thames Water’s handling of the pollution and called on the company to “live up to your words” about river quality. The company, however, insists that addressing these issues requires long-term investment in upgrading aging infrastructure.
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