THE Oxford Mail frequently reports local council and resident alarm about sewage managment.

A review of OM articles on this matter over only the past two years, concerning at least 23 separate locations across the length and breadth of the county from Kidlington to Chilton, Brize Norton to Chinnor, indicates that there are two major issues.

It’s either rapidly increasing new developments will add to an already overburdened sewerage infrastructure or, once new developments have been built, the sewerage infrastructure has not been installed, as required by planning conditions, resulting in temporary solutions, e.g. tankering and/or septic tanks or, worse, sewage bubbling up in homes.

When are local councils going to take this matter up with Thames Water?

When are they going to tell the company that temporary solutions are not acceptable?

When are they going to insist that ancient pipework be replaced?

Shouldn’t they gang up and sort out this problematic company once and for all?

Or, given the councils’ impotence to date, is it time for consumer action?

Oxfordshire residents and businesses will soon be told by Thames Water to each pay an extra £80 per annum, in perpetuity, on their water bills, for its new super-sewer in London, while our county system decays and is made do and often not mended?

It is time for some consumer resistance.

We could deduct the £80 from our bills and pay late. It is illegal for water companies to cut off residential water supply for non-payment.

Consumers don’t have much of a chance with monopolies like Thames Water; but if cash flow becomes a problem while bill-payers hold back, and the shareholders get a bit bothered, maybe some attention may finally be paid.

PAULINE WILSON
Milton Road, Sutton Courtenay

P.S. While writing this, another sewage news item appears, front page, on the OM: Thames Water do not even know where 250 of their pumping stations are.

Words fail!