Sewage may be entering Aylesbury Vale waterways as Storm Debi brings further risk of floods

Sewage is being released into Buckinghamshire’s waterways following rain at the weekend.

Effluent is currently entering the River Misbourne at Gerrards Cross Sewage Treatment Works, according to Thames Water.

The storm overflow at this location has been discharging for more than six hours, the water company’s live map shows.

Last week, a spokesperson for Thames Water said the facilities in Gerrards Cross were set to be upgraded.

It came after heavy rain due to Storm Ciaran caused a storm overflow at the site to discharge for more than 160 hours.

This week, a storm overflow has also been discharging into groundwater at the Dagnall Sewage Treatment Works since the early hours of yesterday morning (13 November).

Planned upgrades for this facility – to be completed in 2024 – will “improve its ability to treat the volumes of incoming sewage”, according to Thames Water.

Elsewhere in Buckinghamshire, several storm overflows are currently discharging in and around Aylesbury Vale.

Sewage may be entering waterways and groundwater in the villages of Stewkley, Waddesdon, Cuddington, Waddesdon, Dorton, Grendon Underwood, Marsh Gibbon and Ludgershall.

These latest overflows come as Storm Debi makes landfall in the UK today, with rain predicted for much of Buckinghamshire on Thursday.

A Thames Water spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service last week: “We regard all discharges as unacceptable and we have published plans to upgrade over 250 of our sewage treatment works and sewers to reduce the number of discharges into watercourses.”