Sewage continues to be released into Oxfordshire waterways from a sewage treatments works in the county. 

The sewage has been released from Witney Sewage Treatment Works since the early hours of Christmas Day

A tweet from the alert system this morning said the release could continue until tomorrow.

The alerts, which are tweeted via @oxthamessewage, cover six sites and are posted by water company Thames Water, Oxford City Council and charities Thames 21 and The Rivers Trust.

Treatment works are only allowed to put sewage into waterways after wet weather and when they are close to capacity.

On Sunday, a group of swimmers in Wolvercote had to cancel their Boxing Day dip due to the releases.

The email from Thames Water, seen by the PA news agency, confirmed an ‘ongoing sewage release’ at Witney, stating: “If you’re thinking of entering the river, please remember that it can take up to four days for the sewage to clear.”

Dr Fiona Palumbo Tolan, a 42-year-old academic who is part of the group, told PA she was “extremely disappointed” by the incident.

She said: “Personally, I find it deeply distressing that the river is made inaccessible because of pollution from sewerage.

“It seems that what should be a very last resort in the case of extreme emergency has become a very common tactic of convenience for the water companies.”

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