Crown cast accuses Southern Water of pumping raw sewage into strictly protected river

The Crown actor James Murray has accused a water company of being “full of lies” for blaming heavy rain for sewage contamination in a tightly protected river.

The environmental activist and fly fishing enthusiast, depicts prince andrew Southern Water is long overdue investment in its infrastructure to prevent its sewers from being flooded by extreme weather, the company says in the hit drama.

Instead, sewage is allowed to be dumped into the River Test, a chalk stream that is one of the rarest habitats on Earth.

He told Sky News: “Every year they say this is a special year and it won’t happen again. It’s nonsense. They’re full of lies.”

“Yes, February can be very wet, but that doesn’t mean they should be releasing raw sewage directly into the river. It’s inexcusable.”

Southern Water said its Fullerton sewage treatment plant near Andover was so overwhelmed that it had to allow sewage to flow untreated into the river to prevent it from backing up into people’s homes.

Current regulations allow water companies to discharge raw sewage during periods of extreme rainfall.

But river conservationists say the continued flow of human waste this winter has caused ecological damage.

Sky News saw clusters of gray “sewage fungus” floating in the river.

It is a gelatinous slime composed of viruses, bacteria, and other organisms that grows rapidly in water that is heavily contaminated with nutrients. It absorbs oxygen and suffocates the life that should exist in the river.

Phil Parker, a Riverkeeper responsible for a section of the test, did a “kick sample” to demonstrate the impact.

He stirs up the river bed with his feet, collecting invertebrates from the mud.

Samples from clean sections of the river contained a rich diversity of organisms.

But this is relatively rare in areas affected by sewage.

He said: “These samples clearly show that sewage is killing our invertebrates.

“With climate change and the extreme weather patterns we’re experiencing, it’s killing an already fragile ecosystem.”

February rainfall in southern England was twice normal, ending a wet winter and raising groundwater levels.

Southern Water aired footage from Sky News showing water under high pressure entering sewer pipes through cracks and joints.

The company said it had laid a special sheath over the public network, likening it to a sausage skin, to prevent future water intrusion.

But the company only recently began installing pipes on customers’ properties. It may be 2030 before all pipelines are repaired.

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Nick Mills, the company’s environmental director, said: “I understand the frustration and we share a lot of the outcomes they would like to see.

“But this is a big, complex problem and we’re in some extreme situations right now.”

Rivers up and down the country are affected by sewage pollution.

Activists hope to use public anger to turn it into an election issue and force water companies to clean up their act.