Lib Dem councillor launches WaterWatch Oxford

9.27.11pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 19th Oct 2008

Councillors Ruth Wilkinson and David Rundle

Following recurring problems with stinking public waterways and raw sewage in the streets of Oxford, Cllr Ruth Wilkinson has set up a campaign website (http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/waterwatchoxford) which residents from all over Oxford can use to report the problems they have had with Thames Water.

Headington residents in Brookside are sick of excuses from Thames Water - since Aug/Sept 2006, they have reported 2 hour flows of sewage polluting Boundary Brook. Thames Water have been analysing maps, internal reports and chemical reports for the past two years, but the brook still stank of human sewage as recently as 4 October this year. Lib Dem group leader Cllr David Rundle has called for a meeting between Thames Water and local residents, and has offered to invite City Council officers along to help get rid of this intolerable problem.

Meanwhile, further downstream, birdwatchers have noticed the absence of kingfishers over the last year, caused by the lack of sticklebacks due to pollution.

Ruth, who is City Councillor for Headington, said: "I am getting complaints from residents about sewage feeding into the surface water drains near Stoke Place, and residents with small children are having to wade through raw sewage, including faeces and toilet paper, to get to their house after heavy rain. Others are telling me about raw sewage pouring across the road on the corner of St Andrew's Road and Dunstan Road, and this gets spread out by passing traffic. These problems cannot be solved by sending out jetting contractors, we need a CCTV drain survey to find out what's causing all this."

She added: "The company vision on the website says: "If customers had a choice, they would choose Thames Water". That's not the message I'm getting from Oxford residents - they are telling me that Thames Water are in Swindon so they really don't care about us here." She intends to speak up for residents at next Tuesday's area committee meeting in Barton to which Thames Water representatives have been invited, and hopes that many residents will attend in person.