\n \u201cWe cannot comment further as this is an ongoing investigation. We will not hesitate to take enforcement action if appropriate.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cAnyone who witnesses pollution or an\u00a0environmental incident is encouraged to report it to our 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n The waterway \u2013 which has a public footpath going across it \u2013 was first reported to be polluted in early April when the Evenlode Catchment Partnership attended the site.\n<\/p>\n
\n The area is next to the Church Hanborough Sewage Treatment Works, which has discharged untreated sewage for over 2,100 hours across the past six months, though not in April.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Partnership reported high levels of coliform bacteria, at least 17 times above the quantity deemed acceptable, which they said indicated a pollution incident.\n<\/p>\n
\n The campaigners\u2019 project manager Ann Berkeley said: \u201cWe should not have to accept this level of dangerous faecal contamination of our rivers from Thames Water.\n<\/p>\n
\n The pollution incident at a Church Hanborough stream is being investigated by the Environment Agency (Image: Evenlode Catchment Partnership)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cAnd this right by a heavily used footpath.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt is time for the real Chris Weston [chief executive of Thames Water] to stand up and take control of this public health emergency.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Following this, parts of the Hanborough Stream – which feeds into the Evenlode – began to turn brown, after which Thames Water sent a team.\n<\/p>\n
\n A spokesperson said: \u201cWe are aware of an incident on the\u00a0watercourse near Church Hanborough and on 10 April reported this to the Environment Agency as we take these matters extremely seriously.\n<\/p>\n
\n Members of the Evenlode Catchment Partnership hand a cheque to a cut-out of Thames Water Chris Weston (Image: ECP)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cOur teams deployed containment booms along the\u00a0watercourse to limit the impact to the\u00a0watercourse.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n A member of the ECP who was at the stream, described a \u201cdisgusting pile of dirty foam, a filthy river and even more foam\u201d.\n<\/p>\n
\n He added: \u201cThames Water who say all sewage spills are unacceptable to us is expecting me to walk my little dog across that filthy river. I don\u2019t think so.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n The group was keen to stress that this comes from treated not untreated sewage, and suggested that nocardia bacteria gatherings had formed.\n<\/p>\n