Reading Council commits to bringing Thames Water back to face scrutiny over Foudry Brook sewage discharges

Reading Council commits to bringing Thames Water back to face scrutiny over Foudry Brook sewage discharges

Reading Borough Council has committed to inviting Thames Water back before its scrutiny committee and to writing to the company's Chief Executive demanding answers over sewage discharges into the Foudry Brook — following a question submitted by Liberal Democrat councillor James Moore.

At the Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport Committee on 23 June 2026, the Lead Councillor for Environmental Services confirmed that officers would write to Thames Water's Chief Executive to obtain a written update on discharge volumes and causes at the Reading Sewage Treatment Works since 2023, and that Thames Water would be invited to attend a future committee meeting to answer members' questions.

The question was prompted by data from the Rivers Trust showing that in 2025, discharges from the Reading Sewage Treatment Works into the Foudry Brook reached 14 spills totalling 168.5 hours — nearly double the long-term average of 8 per year that Thames Water themselves stated when they last appeared before the Committee in November 2023.

Cllr James Moore said:

"I'm pleased the Council has agreed to both parts of my question — a written update from Thames Water's Chief Executive and a return appearance before the Committee. Residents deserve to know why discharges into the Foudry Brook have nearly doubled since Thames Water last faced scrutiny here, and now they'll get the chance to.

"The Lead Councillor was right to describe Thames Water's failure to address ongoing discharges as unacceptable. But warm words aren't enough — I'll be watching closely to make sure officers follow through, that Thames Water respond promptly, and that their committee appearance actually happens.

"Nationally, the Liberal Democrats have long called for Ofwat to be replaced with a regulator that has real teeth. The Government's promised crackdown has so far produced not a single new prosecution. Local scrutiny matters more than ever while national enforcement continues to fail."