EXTRA homes in a Cotswold village have lead to a problem with waste water from a sewage works entering a river, claims a councillor.

However the sewage works says the water it releases into the river poses no environmental risk.

Bourton On the Water Parish Council chairman Bob Hadley says there is an issue with waste water entering the river in the village and that the problems have been made worse by the increase in houses in the village.

He said: “We have just had massive development in the village in the last five years of 300 houses in the village alone.”

Cllr Hadley said the excess water from the sewage works goes down towards Witney.

“We don’t have to see it in the village, but the amount they are putting in is quite excessive.”

Thames Water say the water they release is cleaner than the river water into which it is returned.

A Thames Water spokesman said: “Bourton on the Water sewage works treats about two million litres of waste water from the village and surrounding area each day.

"The treated waste water, called final effluent, is released back into the River Dikler, where it poses no risk to wildlife or the health of the river.”

This follows news of government testing of sewage in the UK for coronavirus.

Windrush Against Sewage Pollution Group WASP contacted Thames Water about the discharge of untreated sewage into Witney’s Waterways, after reading articles that indicate that Covid-19 can be present in both treated and untreated sewage.

The government published an article saying that sewage monitoring was being established across the UK as part of an advance warning system to detect new outbreaks of coronavirus.

The new approach is based on recent research findings that fragments of genetic material (RNA) from the virus can be detected in waste water.

The article said the World Health Organization is clear there is currently no evidence that coronavirus has been transmitted via sewerage systems.

The Thames Water spokesman said: “The World Health Organisation has said there is no evidence that coronavirus can be spread through sewage.

"The government is working with the research community, government scientific advisers and water companies, including Thames Water, to investigate whether monitoring waste water could be used as a way of tracking new outbreaks of coronavirus.

"This involves taking samples from sewage treatment works for testing by the government.”