Two sewers near Swindon have been releasing sewage into rivers for a combined 400 hours.

The two sewers, at Shrivenham and Sevenhampton Village, are still spilling sewage at the time of publication, having already been open for more than 200 hours each.

Sewers have been spilling into a River Cole tributary and Tuckmill Brook since around midnight of March 26, according to Thames Water’s own storm discharge map.

Thames Water’s website says: “Untreated sewage has the potential to cause significant harm to the environment.

“We know our wastewater activities impact this, as well as your enjoyment of our rivers and other watercourses.”

This follows a recent Adver report on raw sewage spilling into the street in nearby village Lambourn for several months from Thames Water sewers.

This includes toilet paper and sanitary products, which are sprayed onto passing schoolchildren by cars before spilling into the River Lambourne to be taken into Berkshire.

Swindon Borough Council recently announced they could use statutory powers to ‘insist’ that a Thames Water representative answers questions from the council on various problems.

These include numerous burst pipes in Swindon, leading to road closures, sewage leaks and project delays.

Sewage discharges can happen after heavy rainfall, with England seeing record rainfall in the 18 months to March according to PA analysis of Met Office data.

A spokesperson from Thames Water said: “We regard any untreated discharges as unacceptable, and we’re committed to stopping them from being necessary, with the assistance of our regulators. 

“Storm discharges are closely linked to rainfall and groundwater conditions and our region experienced above average rainfall for most of 2023, which saw an increase in the frequency and duration of storm discharges from our sites compared to 2022.   

“The overflows are designed to operate automatically when the sewer network is about to be overwhelmed, by releasing diluted wastewater into rivers, rather than letting it back up into people’s homes.

“We have published plans to upgrade over 250 of our sewage treatment works and sewers across London and the Thames Valley which will reduce the need for overflows during wet weather.

Thames Water does not hold data on quantity of discharge, only showing the start and end times of discharges.

The spokesperson continued: “Taking action to improve the health of our rivers is a key focus for us and we are leading the way with our transparent approach to data. 

“We remain the only company to provide live alerts for all untreated discharges.”