River Test: Petition to stop 'appalling' sewage spilling into 'iconic' and 'protected' chalk stream grows as anger mounts

Public outrage is mounting over sewage being discharged into an “iconic” and “protected” chalk stream that has a “thriving ecosystem”. A new petition is calling on Southern Water to stop disposing waste in the River Test, in Hampshire, in villages near Stockbridge and Longparish.

The water company has set up a temporary pump to flush out water to the River Test at Chilbolton Cow Common, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and informed Longparish Parish Council that it plans to do the same in Longparish from next week. 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”. 

He added: “We cannot stand by while our local environment is being damaged in such a way. We urge Southern Water to cease their waste disposal into the River Test immediately and seek alternative methods for handling their waste that do not harm our ecosystems or endanger wildlife.”

The River is one of around 200 chalk streams in the world and is famed for its salmon and trout fishing as well as its diverse wildlife. The petition created on Wednesday (24 January), has already received over 900 signatures.

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!”.

Singer and fierce sewage campaigner Feargal Sharkey posted on X in support of the petition against Southern Water’s plan to pump wastewater into the River Test. He wrote on X: “To the @SouthernWater 'spokesperson', once again, you drink 1 glass of that 'very small amount of wastewater', and I'll donate £1,000 of my money to a charity of your choosing.”

The petition link is change.org/river-test.

Alex Saunders, head of wastewater networks, said Southern Water is "not using the pipes set up to pump into the Test". He said: "At the moment tankers are taking excess flows away for normal treatment. This plan will only implemented as an absolute last resort to prevent flooding within homes, schools and businesses because groundwater levels are exceptionally high and overloading the system. It was last used during floods about three years ago and will operate for as short a period as possible. Releasing highly diluted waste water into a watercourse like this is something we do everything in our power to avoid - but the alternative would mean homes suffering internal flooding.”

A Southern Water spokesperson said: "As part of an emergency plan to prevent flooding, we are preparing overland pipes to remove groundwater and prevent it causing internal flooding of homes, schools and businesses The plan will only be implemented if exceptionally high levels of groundwater overload the sewage system, causing water and sewage to enter people’s homes. The geology of the Chilbolton area is highly vulnerable. The plan – drawn up with co-operation from the Environment Agency – may see us pump ground water out of the sewer and drainage network and into nearby watercourses as a last resort. An impact assessment is currently being carried out and samples from the network and from the area where releases may be made are being collected for analysis."