Tewkesbury Councillors Demand Urgent Action to Tackle Sewage Pollution in River Avon

On October 3rd, 2025, Tewkesbury Borough Councillors unanimously voted in support of a motion calling for immediate investment to address the "shocking" levels of sewage pollution in the River Avon. The motion was put forward by Councillor Matt Dimond-Brown, who criticized the thousands of hours of "untreated sewage discharges" from local sewage installations.

The motion demands "urgent and accelerated investment" from Severn Trent Water at the Lower Lode Sewage Treatment Works and Pumping Station, as well as the Twyning Sewage Treatment Works. Councillor Dimond-Brown emphasized the importance of the borough's rivers, stating that they "bring people here" and support tourism, farming, and fishing, yet are currently being "treated as open sewers."

In response, Severn Trent said it is investing £160m in the county to reduce the use of storm overflows and on a project to help improve river health. The company added that a "£2bn region-wide investment" has already led to a 65% reduction in spills at the three overflows in question, and that it plans to complete thousands of storm overflow and river improvement projects by this autumn, including at Twyning.

With thousands of new homes expected to be built in the area, the motion also called for a "clear plan for managing additional housing growth without worsening sewage discharges." Severn Trent stated that it looks forward to receiving the council's comments and will provide a full response to any concerns raised.