Thames Water grilled over failing sewage plants in Buckinghamshire, leading to river spills.
He mentioned a Financial Times report at a meeting that showed many sewage plants in Buckinghamshire are failing. Sixteen plants are inadequate, two are only adequate, and five have unknown status.
Carington noted some pipes lack data, meaning actual problems might be worse than reported numbers. He stated that thirty percent of their network is unmapped and asked for more information about the situation.
Jake Morley of Thames Water responded to the comments, saying they’d discuss them privately later on. He admitted much of their system is not properly mapped out. Morley added they are still finding their network details, blaming this on the privatization of water services.
He suggested an asset team could give better answers. Carington found the situation bad news, pointing out the FT used Thames Water’s own numbers. Morley repeated that he couldn’t provide precise answers just then.
Morley mentioned their spending plans earlier, stating Thames Water will spend £1.12 billion on sewage plants. The money will boost capacity and make them stronger, covering 2024 and 2025.