A recent investigation found three examples of housing blocks being misconnected to local streams in Barnet, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

A banner protesting sewage spills in the River Lea

Barnet Council has said it will “pursue enforcement” against freeholders of properties found to be pumping raw sewage into local streams.

A recent investigation carried out by news outlet London Centric found seven housing developments across the capital, including three in Hendon, Finchley and Whetstone, were discharging untreated human waste into streams due to plumbing misconnections.

Rob Gray, a member of the Friends of the River Crane Environment group, said misconnections happen when builders or homeowners plumb toilets and domestic appliances into pipes designed for rainwater, instead of the ones meant for foul water.

According to Rob this is the “largest issue” London faces in terms of river pollution, with the streams affected ultimately flowing into the River Thames further downstream.

Clementine Court in Finchley, which comprises 24 private two and three bedroom apartments, and Admiral Court in Hendon, which has eleven leasehold flats, are both under investigation after Thames Water reported the misconnections there.

In the case of Admiral Court, waste is being released into the Silk Stream. Dollis Brook, which is not far from Clementine Court, has also been affected by misconnections.

Due to the difficulty in tracking down the original developers as well as agree on who is responsible, given the properties are privately owned, no solution has been found for these properties yet.

A Barnet Council spokesperson said: “Our investigations into these properties are ongoing and we will pursue formal enforcement if the freeholders do not undertake the required work to rectify the misconnections.

“We are continuing to work collaboratively with the Environment Agency and Thames Water to ensure future cases can be dealt with as quickly as possible.”

Both Dollis Brook and the SIlk Stream are tributaries of the River Brent, which eventually flows into the Thames.

Campaign group Clean Up the River Brent, plus environmental charity Thames21, have both launched campaigns to clean the polluted local waterways.

Crest Nicholson, the housebuilder of the third Barnet-based block where misconnections were discovered, at Totteridge Place in Quayle Crescent, claims it has resolved the fault previously reported there.

A spokesperson for Crest Nicholson said: “We are aware of a historic miss-connection issue which has now been resolved. A recent independent survey, conducted with the agreement of Barnet Council, has confirmed that no further works are required.”

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