Thames Water -Legal Action
The Mogden Residents Action Group (MRAG) has asked me to post this legal update on this forum as it may affect some in TW8 or their friends and families in TW7 Dear ResidentsThousands of you will have experienced massive increases in raw sewage odour and mosquitoes in June and we thank all those who have taken the time to register their complaints through MRAG. Your complaints have been forwarded to senior Thames Water management, LBH and LBRuT Environmental Services, Ofwat and Defra. OdourWe believe there have been major malfunctions or odour management failures on site and we have asked Thames Water senior management to investigate but they have failed to respond. We have however received notice from a Thames Water communications consultant advising that Thames Water will not respond to your complaints forwarded via MRAG and we therefore have no confirmation that your complaint has been investigated as is required by the Defra Code of Practice. Until such time that Thames Water investigate and respond to your complaints we can only assume that the odour which amounts in law to a nuisance is being caused by plant malfunction, bad housekeeping or negligence. We have also ascertained that Thames Water do not employ an on-site senior manager capable of dealing with odour complaint investigation and response outside of normal working hours during the week or on weekends. With no site manager on site at night or on Bank holidays or weekends it is therefore not surprising that Thames Water appears to be oblivious to the environmental damage it is causing by permitting the billions of molecules of raw sewage escape its premises only to end up in your mouth. What is clear to you is that Thames Water management is not addressing the problem and nothing has been done in June to abate or reduce odour escaping its premises. Mosquitoes Thames Water make no differential between odour and mosquito complaints and in 'response' to Mosquito complaints the communications consultant has advised that Thames Water will not respond to your complaints forwarded via MRAG. We therefore have no information from Thames Water on why the mosquito activity has increased so much as to cause much distress and misery to residents from St Margarets across to Whitton. The mosquitoes appear to be out of control in all areas surrounding the site. Three years ago MRAG managed to persuade Thames Water to assist in the financing of summer gully cleaning around the site in order to minimise mosquito migration off-site. Since last year Thames Water banned MRAG committee members from attending the so called 'residents' liaison meetings because, we believe, we asked to many embarrassing questions the company was unwilling, incapable or not able to answer. Since being barred from the meetings we have discovered that Thames Water did not contribute a penny towards the gully cleaning last year. To date, this year the company has also not contributed a penny but after pressure from MRAG, the Council has last week advised that Thames have finally agreed to only contribute £16,000 towards the exercise. This from a company whose profits soared to £364 million, whose five UK directors are in line for cash and share "performance" awards of £1.7 million and whose German based RWE 5 man board directors said to be one of the best paid boards in Europe with a total remuneration of £24 million! Legal ActionIn light of the recent massive increase in both odour and mosquito complaints MRAG have been asked if it is too late to join the Group Action Claim for compensation and an injunction. We can advise that It may not be too late for you to join in the legal action but following the cut off date anyone wishing to join the Mogden Group Litigation will need to make an application to the Court for permission. If you wish to join please contact Hugh James Solicitors and ask to speak to one of the Mogden Team 01685 371122.Please remember to log your complaints via MRAG by email complaints@mogden.org.uk or mrag27@aol.comRegardsMRAGFor latest information on Mogden Residents Action Group go to OnLine Communities Ltd Website www.mogden.org.uk For News and Views on local community issues visit http://www.twickenham-online.co.uk/
Steve Taylor ● 7144d3 Comments