Thames Water slammed as ‘disgraceful’ by GMB Union

Tap water in the Chipping Norton area stopped running on Monday, March 23 after a water main burst on the B4030 towards Bicester.

It followed a similar incident in Eynsham and happened on the same day it was reported that the sewage treatment site between Wallingford and Didcot was the worst for “illegal spills” in Thames Water’s network.

Cliff Roney, former water worker, a GMB Union activist and contributor to Channel 4’s Dirty Business, said Oxfordshire is “crying out for change”.

READ MORE: Disgraced gymnastics coach who was banned from coaching finally quits as boss

He said: “Thames Water hiked bills by 31 per cent last year and yet ordinary people are going without water and still seeing sewage dumped in their waterways.

Thames Water has been under fire for sewage dumping (Image: Hugh Warwick)

“The way in which Thames Water is run is disgraceful, and residents in Oxfordshire and across the country are crying out for change.

“We urgently need to nationalise water to protect consumers, water workers, and our natural world before it’s too late.”

On the Chipping Norton incident, Thames Water said workmen went on through the night to fix the problem and apologised to householders.

Thames Water claims that improving the health of rivers is a “key focus”, adding that for the first half of this financial year has been marked by “solid progress” across all areas of operation.