Environmental campaigners say efforts by Sir David Attenborough and others to clean up the historic Beverley Brook, which flows through Richmond Park, risk being sabotaged by sewage discharges.

The charity London Waterkeeper has recorded how a sewer overflowed into the stream 270 times last year alone.

The pollution comes from the Roehampton Vale Combined Sewer Overflow, which is hidden on the banks of the brook just 200 metres from the point it enters the park.

London Waterkeeper has set up a campaign lobbying the body responsible for the sewer at Roehampton Vale to publish real-time information on discharges into the capital's rivers and chalk streams.

"The law says Thames Water should tell the public when its sewers overflow to rivers but it has refused to do this," the petition reads. "So the only way for someone to know when they have spilled is to ask, and ask we will!"

Founder Theo Thomas highlighted the issue from the spot where Beverley brook meets Richmond Park in a video posted on YouTube.

He said: "Nobody is told when the sewers have overflowed. We have no idea how often it's overflowed this year – but when it does it's raw sewage mixed with rain."

The petition says it takes up to three weeks to find out when a sewer has overflowed – and this is only after someone has asked. "We need to know when sewer spills are happening so people's health isn't put at risk and we need to know the true impact on the environment."

In July this year, the Rivers Trust launched an interactive map showing the location and duration of sewage discharges. Because no real-time data is available, the figures relate to incidents in 2019.

Attempts to rejuvenate Beverley Brook

Beverley Brook has been the focus of a restoration project led by renowned broadcaster Sir David Attenborough and financed by the Royal Parks charity along with key partners including the South East Rivers Trust, Friends of Richmond Park and the Environment Agency.

The need for conservation stems from the heavy modification of the original riverbanks.

Only 3% of Beverley Brook's banks today are naturally occurring as in the 1920s the river was canalised with concrete and brick which severely impacted the potential biodiversity of both the localised fauna and flora.

In 2014, the lack of biodiversity and unsecured banks meant the brook failed its target of Good Ecological Potential under the Water Framework Directive.

Subsequently, Richmond resident Sir David spearheaded efforts to raise £16,000 for the building of kingfisher nest tunnels in the riverbank, and creation of fish shelters and spawning grounds with branches and gravel.

At the time, he said he was thrilled to be supporting conservation projects linked to the ponds and streams of Richmond Park, adding: "It gives me great pleasure to launch the appeal to raise funds for improvements to the wildlife habitats of Beverley Brook."

As patron of the Beverley Brook Restoration Project, he said: "Projects like this that restore natural habitats are vital to ensure our riverside flora and fauna thrive in the future."

The brook is a popular attraction in Richmond Park for visitors and photographers.

Its name is derived from the Old English for Beaver and Stream, and means a place where beavers live – though no beavers have been able to make their home there for many years, not least because of urban pollution.

Across the country, water firms discharged raw sewage into England's rivers 200,000 times in 2019.

Thames Water has not questioned the Beverley Brook sewage discharge figures. The company said it is working to tackle such incidents.

A spokesman told us: "We work hard to minimise storm discharges, while also looking at how we can improve the system for the future.

"Putting untreated sewage into rivers is unacceptable to us, our customers and the environment, and while eliminating such discharges will not be quick, easy or inexpensive we want to work with our customers and other agencies, including local authorities, to achieve it.

"We've invested heavily in monitoring equipment to understand how frequently spills occur and help us plan improvements. While the equipment as installed doesn't currently enable us to provide real-time data to river users, it's something we're looking into for the future."

Theo added: "At certain times of the year the overflows could damage efforts to boost the health of the river. Particularly in the summer when river levels are low, and the water is warmer and so holds less dissolved oxygen."

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