Oxfordshire politicians have slammed the dumping of sewage in rivers calling it a "real disgrace" and saying they have "no confidence" in the authority responsible.
County councillors discussed Thames Water at a full council meeting on Tuesday (July 9) last week and the issue of the company "releasing untreated sewage into Oxfordshire rivers and chalk streams for 20 plus years".
Speaking out at the meeting, motion proposer and Independent county councillor Sally Povolotsky, of the Hendreds & Harwell division, said: "Some of our Olympic rowers could not take part in the Henley Regatta this weekend because of their fear of getting sick.
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"We are being failed by a massive corporation."
Green councillor and cabinet member for climate, Dr Pete Sudbury, added: "I work very closely with Thames Water and we need to distinguish the people who work for Thames Water who are good and honest.
"They work very hard from Thames Water itself which increasingly looks like it is a broken organisation."
Conservative councillor Nick Field-Johnson spoke out after the meeting hitting out at Thames Water though he has previously suggested strong criticism of the organisation is not a typical position of his party.
Mr Field-Johnson said: "We all agree Thames Water continues to be a walking disaster.
"If you turn back the clock 10 years all your rivers were pristine and clear.
"Now rivers are murky and dirty - it's a real disgrace."
The Burford & Carterton North representative said he thought the issue had arisen largely due to a lack of infrastructure and added he thought "public ownership" might be a solution.
A Thames Water spokesman has previously said the organisation is "committed to minimising our impact on the environment, but we can't do it alone".
He added "farming, industry, livestock and more extreme weather also play a role in river health" and that "all discharges were unacceptable" but explained that the sewage system had been designed historically to "relieve pressure and prevent overflow into people’s homes".
Of the councillors presents, 29 voted for the motion, 13 abstained and zero voted against.
The criticism comes as Oxford City councillors also voted through a motion of no confidence in Thames Water at a full city council meeting on Monday this week (July 15).
Liberal Democrat councillors Katherine Miles and Jo Sandelson were among those to both speak out against the company.
Labour Northfield Brook councillor Simon Ottino added: "The behaviour of Thames Water is in my mind criminal."
In a county council meeting last year, Liberal Democrat councillor Bob Johnston, of the Kennington and Radley division, was among those who criticised Thames Water's plans to build a huge new reservoir in Abingdon.
Mr Johnston said: "If I’m spared to 2040 at which time I shall be 97 this is the biggest thing I shall see."
The councillor of 30 years added the project was a reflection of a type of "gangster capitalism".
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About the author
Noor is the Local Democracy Reporter for Oxfordshire who covers political stories from across the county.
She began working as a journalist in Oxford in September 2023 having graduated from the University of Oxford.
Noor was trained at the News Associates journalism school and can be found on X through the handle @NoorJQurashi
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