Thames Water headquarters has ‘corrupt’ sign installed

The artist put up the sign saying “follow the stench of corruption” as residents complain the sewage and poorly treated liquid waste is a threat to health.

The company caused almost a third of the water sector’s most harmful pollution incidents last year for England’s waterways, according to official figures.

The new sign outside Thames Water’s head office, in Reading, across the county border in Berkshire, was visible this week, in a protest about water companies’ behaviour.

The artist with the sign (Image: @Athirty4)

The anonymous artist, in his 50s from Oxfordshire, said: “It’s time to end this nonsense. It’s disturbing and not right.

“When rivers get filthy, it’s like putting heroin in your veins.

“They don’t seem to care about our waterways at all.

“They don’t understand Britain and how people feel.”

The artist, whose X profile is @Athirty4, made the sign and put it up at 10.40am on Sunday, June 7 to promote a conversation about water companies’ “huge profits” and “awful practices”.

Thames Water failed to complete upgrades to 98 treatment plants and pumping stations which have the worst records for sewage pollution into the environment, despite a promise to invest in them over the last five years.

In 2023, the BBC revealed 72 billion litres of sewage were pumped into the water in just two years.

The sign at Thames Water’s HQ in Reading (Image: @Athirty4)

The artist said: “I hope the employees had a secret laugh this morning when they turned up for work.

“In general, water companies are behaving awfully.

“They are a yardstick for everything that is wrong with our country.

“They’ve run up massive debts, paid huge CEO bonuses, and put up customer prices.

“They’re the Dick Turpin of the modern world, holding a ‘gun’ to customers’ heads.

“We’re being ripped off by wealthy people who just don’t need the money.

“Governments and regulators have been complicit in all of this.

“These huge privatised monopolies have got to stop.”

In 2023, a pensioner put a sign reading “Thames Water: Dirtywater Caught” in protest against illegal sewage discharges.

Speaking to The Times, a spokesperson for Thames Water said: “We take our responsibilities to the environment and our customers extremely seriously.

“This is why we launched our biggest upgrade in over 150 years, investing billions of pounds, to improve the resilience of our assets and modernise our network.”

The company said that it provides “an essential service for almost a quarter of the UK population, and on a relative basis our pollution record is in line with other water companies”.

“However, while Thames serves about twice the number of people as Severn Trent it caused eight times as many serious pollution incidents,” the spokesperson added.

Thames Water has been contacted for a further comment by this newspaper.