Two weeks ago I was on BBC Radio Four talking about the water outage in Guildford when Thames Water had an issue with the Shalford Treatment work. I said to the presenter that Surrey County Council were very concerned and we would be seeking immediate action to stop this happening again as well as making clear Surrey needs to be the focus for Thames Water investment broadly. I know the local MPs Angela Richardson & Jeremy Hunt was also very active in seeking a solution. Thames Water have now said they will be investing £91.1m into the site and infrastructure in this area to ensure safe and secure water to Guildford residents. Tim Oliver, the leader of Surrey County Council, and I are due to meet Thames Water in December and we will be welcoming this investment but also asking for a plan and timeline as to how quickly the works will be carried out.
I intend to build on the working relationship I have with Thames Water as a result of leading the River Thames Scheme to ask them to prioritise infrastructure upgrades across Surrey. The Mole Valley area in particular has experienced high levels of untreated wastewater into waterways and it must be prioritised for the funding Thames Water have announced nationally to address this. My work on nature recovery and improving biodiversity is strongly linked to clean waterways and I intend to work hard to resolve issue around sewage.
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