Brent Council: Wealdstone Brook raw sewage contamination is not a 'major incident'

 Alan Lunt, Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment at Brent Council has responded to a local resident who had asked for the sewage contamination of the Wealdstone Brook to be declared a major incident:

Thank you for your email regarding sewage contamination of Wealdstone Brook. 

 

It is important to the council that the appropriate procedures are utilised in this case in order to bring about a swift and successful resolution. 

 

London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP) defines a major incident as; ‘An event or situation with a range of serious consequences which requires special arrangements to be implemented by one or more emergency responder agency’.  

 

It is usually only the most serious incidents with very significant and immediate consequences that justify classification as a major incident. Recently declared  major incidents in London include the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in December 2021, the impacts of Storm Eunice during February 2022 and the chlorine gas escape at Olympic Park during March 2022. While I accept that continuous and long term release of raw sewage into a water course will have ecological impacts if not resolved, a short term odour, however unpleasant, would not normally constitute grounds to declare a major incident.

 

In this case, Thames Water (from whose equipment the sewage emanates) is aware of the issue and actively seeking to rectify the matter. The Environment Agency are also aware and the council is maintaining contact with both organisations. Therefore, the relevant agencies are already involved and declaration of a major incident would not result in any additional action or activity by other emergency responders.

 

Please let me reassure you that the council will continue to monitor the situation and work with other agencies to resolve this highly distressing matter as soon as is possible. I hope that my email clarifies the rationale for our decision that it is not appropriate to declare a major incident in the current circumstances.