Plumbing caused brook pollution (From Harrow Times)

Plumbing caused brook pollution

9:59am Friday 28th November 2003 in News By Tracey Treanor

KENTON BROOK was polluted after mistakes by plumbers and DIY enthusiasts in Queensbury.

A two-year investigation by Harrow Environmental Health and Thames Water has revealed that more than 180 homes have appliances including washing machines and toilets plumbed into rainwater sewers, which lead to nearby Kenton Brook. They should have been connected to foul sewers that take household waste to sewage works for treatment.

As a result, sewage and dirty water has been reducing oxygen levels and making it difficult for fish and other wildlife in the brook to survive.

Thames Water's Environmental Protection Team was called in when the Environment Agency suspected that waste from misconnected drains was contaminating the brook.

The team installed wire traps in junctions on surface water sewers to capture any evidence of household waste. Remotely controlled CCTV cameras and coloured dyes were then used to trace the source of the pollution back to streets and individual properties.

Of 182 premises found to have wrongly connected drains, 149 have now carried out the necessary work to rectify the problems.

Local authorities have the power to serve a notice on such properties, requiring the owner to carry out any remedial work needed to prevent further pollution.

Councillor Navin Shah for the Kenton East Ward said: "It is absolutely tremendous news for the residents that the cleaning of the brook is nearing completion. Some residents were not aware that drainage works needed permission from the council. The council will do their best to ensure that residents are well aware of this issue, in order to stop anything like this happening in the future."

Gareth Llywelyn-Roberts, Harrow Council's chief environmental health officer, said: "This is a excellent example of what can be achieved through Thames Water and Harrow environmental health working in partnership to tackle pollution. The action taken has brought about a genuine improvement to the area, benefiting both the residents and local environment. We hope this initiative extends across the borough."

Matt Prior, Thames Water's environmental protection team leader, said: "We would urge people to use a reputable, qualified plumber when carrying out any work on drains at their property to avoid this sort of problem in the first place and help protect their local environment."

Once the few remaining misconnections have been rectified the Environment Agency will be asked to confirm that the brook has been cleaned up.