River Test: Activists hold protest against 'ongoing' sewage dumping into UK's 'world famous' river - that features on BBC's Gone Fishing

Environmental campaigners are holding a protest today (Monday 18 March) against sewage being dumped into one of the UK’s “crown chalk streams”. The River Test, which rises near Basingstoke and flows south for 40 miles to Southampton Water, is described by David Attenborough as “one of the rarest habitats on earth”. However, activists are sounding the alarm that “ongoing” sewage pollution is destroying the river’s ecosystems. 

The Angling Trust, who is supporting the Hampshire River Keepers and the Test & Itchen Association in their protest this morning, said the outfall from Fullerton Wastewater Treatment Workers (WWTW) in Hampshire is “notorious” for dumping sewage and has “this time been spilling non-stop for weeks.” 

The charity added: “The keepers and landowners have records of spills going back years. Our tests of the water have shown it is in very poor condition, invertebrate sampling, and the heavy sewage fungus back this up. So does the visual quality of the water and the stink!”.

Water companies are permitted to discharge untreated sewage into rivers from points known as storm overflows during times of exceptional rainfall to prevent their infrastructure from becoming overwhelmed and waste backing up into people’s homes. But public anger is growing over the number of times this is happening.

Latest annual statistics show raw sewage was discharged from Fullerton WWTW pipes a total of 121 times in 2022. The protest will begin at 10am outside Fullerton WWTW and will also be attended by members of the charity WildFish, including its Vice President, former F1 boss Ross Brawn. 

The river is known as a favourite spot of the actor and comedian Paul Whitehouse, which features regularly on the BBC series Gone Fishing, in which he stars with Bob Mortimer. The river is world famous for its superb trout fishing and is designated as SSSI - a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Paul Whitehouse is supporting the protest today, posting on X, formerly Twitter: “I am really sorry I can’t be with you today but you have my full support.”

The protest comes after a petition was created calling on Southern Water to stop disposing waste in the River Test. The water firm had installed equipment to “overpump” excess contaminated water directly into the river but after the petition and local opposition it was forced to back down.

C Gray, who started the petition, said the River Test is “under threat due to Southern Water's practices” and the “impact on local biodiversity could be devastating if these practices continue unchecked”.

Susan Simmonds, 50, a lecturer and engagement officer, living near Stockbridge, told NationalWorld that it is “appalling” sewage is being poured into a protected chalk stream and it “seems that the legal protection means absolutely nothing”. She said: “The water companies should be investing in upgrading their systems to avoid this happening and there should be incentives for them to do so and large penalties for non-compliance. We must do better than this!”.

The demonstrators today are calling on Southern Water to bring forward plans to upgrade Fullerton WWTW, which is not included in the firm’s 2025-2030 business plan. It is also demanding that the water regulator, Ofwat, must reject Southern Water’s business plan until it includes Fullerton upgrades and any surplus sewage from Southern Water’s treatment works must not be discharged back into the river.

Andrew Webb, Head of Wastewater Treatment for Southern Water in Hampshire, said: “Record rainfall has raised the risk of groundwater flooding in many areas, including Fullerton. The site is facing significant demand, caused by rain run-off and very high groundwater levels. 

"However, we have been able to treat 520 litres of wastewater per second, which is far greater than what the site usually deals with. Moving forward, Fullerton is one of many Southern Water sites set to benefit from major investment, with £26 million earmarked to expand the site’s capacity by 60 per cent."

He added: "This will help it cope with population growth in the area. Meanwhile, a further £12 million is being spent on projects locally, to improve the health of the River Test. Although we continue to work hard to reduce our reliance on storm overflows, they remain necessary at times to prevent flooding to homes, schools and businesses.”