Local MP Maria Miller has called for a halt to uncontrolled phosphate pollution of the Loddon to be at the heart of new Environment Agency plans set to be published shortly.

Currently two out of three Sewage Treatment Works in Basingstoke (Sherfield-on-Loddon and Sherborne St John) operate without any phosphate consent limits at all, leaving operator Thames Water free to discharge phosphates into the river water at both sites without controls. High levels of phosphates damage plant and animal life and mean the Loddon breaks legal limits set out in the EU Water Framework Directive.

Maria said: “The Loddon leaves Basingstoke polluted to levels that break the law and the situation would only get worse as more and more houses are built. If we are going to reduce this worrying level of pollution action has to be taken. We need proper and comprehensive phosphate controls at the two smaller Sewage Treatment Works and the best possible ground breaking technology at the main Basingstoke Sewage Works to take more phosphates out of the water and enable the consent limits there to be reduced further."