Bake Off star seen at Channel 4 water campaigners’ event

Former judge of The Great British Bake Off Prue Leith was among the 100 or so people at the meeting organised by the Evenlode Catchment Partnership.

Held at New Beaconsfield Hall in Shipton-under-Wychwood, the event saw the stars of Channel 4’s Dirty Business speak about their ongoing campaign.

READ MORE: Watch as Oxfordshire group return £136K to Thames Water

Ash Smith and Professor Peter Hammond of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) were recently portrayed by Harry Potter actor David Thewlis and The Crown star Jason Watkins respectively within the docudrama.

The series was critically acclaimed, weaving several narratives including the west Oxfordshire duo’s investigations into sewage pollution.

Ash Smith and Professor Peter Hammond speak at the ECP event (Image: ECP)

Since then they have launched a campaign calling for a public vote on whether water companies should be privately owned or not.

The petition, which currently has 86,000 signatures can be seen here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/762640

At the recent ECP event local author CM Taylor read from his new novel Floaters, and the WASP team was quizzed on a range of topics including planning, withholding water bill payments and how to become more involved in the fight for clean water. 

Ash Smith and Professor Peter Hammond speak at the ECP event (Image: ECP)

Ann Berkeley, project manager for the Evenlode Catchment Partnership, said: “It was encouraging to see so many people tonight with a desire to take action to clean up the rivers. 

“The level of frustration and anger amongst everyone was very clear.”

Vaughan Lewis from WASP added: “It’s great to be able to work with the ECP to achieve our shared aim of clean rivers.

“They are a strong, independent minded group that has shown its determination not to be captured and greenwashed.”

Members of the Evenlode Catchment Partnership hand a cheque to a cut-out of Thames Water Chris Weston (Image: ECP)

Among its recent activity the ECP attended a pollution incident in Church Hanborough, which is currently being investigated by the Environment Agency and also decided to return a payment to Thames Water.

The group had partnered with the UK’s largest water supplier to deliver a Smarter Water Catchment Project for the River Evenlode, with the company committing £3m over a five-year period.

However in March 2025 the campaigners severed links with Thames Water citing a “betrayal of trust” over its 2025-2029 business plan.

READ MORE: Thames Water probe as Oxfordshire village stream turns brown

Following that, the group decided to return the remaining funds despite Thames Water saying they can spend them.

Ann Berkeley, project lead for ECP approached Thames Water to provide a representative for the handover. 

The company said no-one was available.

Instead, at an event organised outside Church Hanborough Sewage Treatment Works, the group handed over a giant ‘cheque’ to a cut-out of CEO Chris Weston.