1 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:14,936 MARGARET THATCHER: Privatised water is a better deal 2 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,360 than nationalised water. INDISTINCT HECKLING. 3 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,440 TODDLER BABBLES 4 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,736 Lewis, what did I tell you about that seaweed? 5 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:57,160 Do not throw it. 6 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:01,040 CHILDREN SQUEAL AND GIGGLE 7 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:05,096 Are you hungry? 8 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:07,136 What do you fancy? 9 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:08,256 Ice cream. 10 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:10,016 No! No. We just got here, you wally. 11 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,376 Yeah, we'll get it on the way back to the chalet. All right? 12 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:14,976 Yeah, we'll get it... we'll get it later. 13 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,800 There, isn't it? I did promise you. I will, I promise. 14 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:30,456 Girls, wait, please! Heather, stop! 15 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:31,720 Bloody hell! 16 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,280 Heather, I told you to stop, didn't I? 17 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:38,920 I think that's poo. Of course it's not poo. 18 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:43,896 It stinks. 19 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:44,976 It wasn't poo. 20 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,256 Don't... Don't go in. 21 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:49,136 All right. Don't go in like that. 22 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:50,376 How far shall I go? 23 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:51,936 Go as far as you can. 24 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:53,376 All right. All right, love. All right, love. 25 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:55,896 It's all up her legs. Wash it off. 26 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:56,936 Scrub it. You what? 27 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:58,416 Scrub it. All right. 28 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:00,136 Here, Heather... Have I got it? 29 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:01,696 Don't you think...? 30 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:03,896 Did you get it off her? You what? 31 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:05,096 Did you get it off her? 32 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:06,736 Yeah, I think so. 33 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:08,776 Get a towel. Here, get her dry. 34 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,736 Here. There you go. I've got a smelly little mermaid. 35 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:13,416 Still smells, that. 36 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:14,776 I like... 37 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:16,536 Is that ticklish? Yeah. 38 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:19,056 Let's do the other one. How about that one? 39 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:20,336 No. No. 40 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:21,640 Oh, look at that. 41 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:41,296 What is quite remarkable, really, that most of the freshwater fish 42 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:43,816 in England was just on this stretch. 43 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,840 Seriously. Including the chub. The chub came later, of course. 44 00:02:49,640 --> 00:02:51,816 They're gone. What? The chub? 45 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,240 The chub, the barbel, the eels, everything. 46 00:02:56,200 --> 00:03:00,400 Well, yes, I mean the water is brown. 47 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:05,536 You don't really think about the colour 48 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,056 when you see it every day. 49 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:10,976 I mean, the brown here just seems normal. 50 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:12,040 Yes. 51 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:16,216 Do you and Eileen still do that water vole register thing? 52 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:17,536 No that's... 53 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:19,320 No, that... They're gone as well. 54 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,096 Mean, I remember when I first came here 55 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,800 that it was crystalline, wasn't it? 56 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:52,576 You never talk about your work. 57 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:54,696 Well, I'd have to, you know. 58 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:56,136 It's part of the training. 59 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:58,736 It's not sort of, you know, dinner conversation. 60 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:01,976 No, it's not like I'm a... I'm a Russian spy, am I? 61 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,656 You know, I'm not working for Putin, am I? 62 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:07,576 That makes me wonder. Now, why would you say that? 63 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,856 That's a bit... You investigated bent coppers, wasn't it? 64 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:13,496 Yeah, 25 years. Well, come on, 25 years - 65 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,216 You must have... you must have some stories, mustn't you? 66 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:18,320 Not really. 67 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:22,056 Why don't you have the game pie? I don't like game pie. 68 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:23,656 Shall we get some mixed greens? 69 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:27,096 No, I'm just having the soup and the crusty bread. 70 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:28,256 That sounds nice. 71 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:30,216 Maybe that's extra, isn't it? No, no, no. 72 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:32,056 That's right. Yes. 73 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:33,536 There will have been 74 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:37,760 some minor discolouration in one or two sections of the river. 75 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:43,456 There's, um... There's been a discharge from the Burford Works. 76 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:45,736 A discharge? Discharge of what? 77 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:47,976 Er, untreated sewage. Yeah. 78 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,096 Legally, they're allowed to spill after heavy rainfall. 79 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:52,200 Ahem. 80 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:55,856 So they can... they can... they can just do that. 81 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:57,336 That's what he said. 82 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:02,336 They're allowed to dump untreated sewage into the river 83 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:03,896 right after heavy rain. 84 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:07,176 But that can't be right. Because it rains all the time. 85 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:08,576 Well, heavy rain, he said. 86 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:10,696 I don't remember any heavy rain, do you? 87 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,216 I'm going to write to Thames Water 88 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:15,856 and ask how many times they've put sewage into the Windrush. 89 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:17,336 They're not going to tell you that. 90 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:19,160 Oh, yeah, yeah, they've got to. It's the law. 91 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:24,816 {\an8}"Dear Mr Smith, no untreated sewage has been discharged into 92 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:27,536 {\an8}"the River Windrush for the past three years. 93 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:30,096 {\an8}"Untreated sewage mixed with treated sewage 94 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:33,096 {\an8}"has been discharged 240 times." 95 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:34,136 {\an8}"Kind regards." 96 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,816 When did that come in? When did it come in that you could 97 00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:40,896 put untreated sewage into the river, per se? 98 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:42,176 I don't see how 99 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,336 putting any kind of pathogens into the river could possibly be allowed. 100 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:48,296 I mean, people are swimming in there. 101 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:49,616 "Dear Mr Smith, 102 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,096 "in response to your request for information," 103 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:54,616 "please find attached the documents below." 104 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:55,856 "Kind regards." 105 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:57,616 Wankers. 106 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:02,256 This must be like one of your cases, mustn't it, all this, 107 00:06:02,280 --> 00:06:04,696 when you used to be a detective? 108 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:06,096 No. 109 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:08,336 But, you know, poisonous stuff 110 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:10,976 in the river, and we're not being warned about it, 111 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:13,720 that'd be a... that'd be a scandal. 112 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:30,336 It's a tummy bug, 48-hour thing. Plenty of liquids. 113 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:33,576 I'll give you some anti-sickness tablets just to stop the vomiting. 114 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:34,920 OK. Of course. 115 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:39,696 Heather? I'm here. 116 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:41,856 The doctor said you've got to take your medicine now. 117 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:43,120 Let's see. 118 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:46,296 Close your eyes if you want, Mum. 119 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:48,280 Yeah. Keep them closed. There you go. 120 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:51,776 Well, exactly. 121 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:53,576 No. They said you treated sewage 122 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:55,776 mixed with untreated sewage 240 times. 123 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:57,096 Yeah. 124 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:00,080 JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS 125 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:12,536 This is free jazz, is it? 126 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:16,136 Um, no. It's not free jazz. It's contemporary jazz. 127 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,440 It's nothing like free jazz. Right. 128 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:21,696 And people pay money to listen to that. 129 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,016 Did you just come around to piss me off? 130 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:26,616 No, I'm going to show you something. 131 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:27,936 Look at this. 132 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:30,496 So, what is this? Er, this is... 133 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:32,576 Is this a reply from Thames Water? 134 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:35,496 They're drowning me in numbers. Oh, I can see that. 135 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:38,096 I mean, how are you supposed to make anything of that crap? 136 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:40,496 Well, maybe... maybe that's what they're banking on. 137 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:42,096 There's a needle in there somewhere. 138 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:44,296 Just, you know, go through the haystack to find it. 139 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:46,816 You're the Oxford professor of mathematics. 140 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:49,376 No. Computational biology. 141 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:51,576 It's not, um... Still maths. 142 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:53,456 It's not. It's machine learning, actually. 143 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:54,856 So what's that? Like AI? 144 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:56,256 I know you're going to take the piss, 145 00:07:56,280 --> 00:07:58,456 but it's... a bit like free jazz. 146 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:00,056 Oh. 147 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:01,576 Depressing and pointless. 148 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:03,976 Er, no. No. There's rules. 149 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,896 So there's a kind of order beneath the chaos. 150 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:12,256 And you've got to listen really hard for the patterns. 151 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:16,280 Why don't you just email me these and I'll take a look. 152 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:22,560 JAZZ PLAYS 153 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:41,240 Fuck me. 154 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:50,416 These, what you've given me, they're flow numbers. 155 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:52,496 They track the sewage coming into 156 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:54,936 the works and the rate at which it's treated 157 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,216 so it's safe to go back into the river. 158 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:01,536 But there's something weird about this. 159 00:09:01,560 --> 00:09:03,056 Yeah. 160 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:05,136 What? Well, here, look. 161 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:08,216 Now, on the 27th of December, 162 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:12,976 {\an8}the flow of treated effluent coming out of the works just stops. 163 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,656 {\an8}It just stops completely. Right. What do you mean it stops? 164 00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:17,896 {\an8}The flow just stops. 165 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:21,936 {\an8}There's no... there's no treated effluent going back into the river. 166 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,536 {\an8}So two days after Christmas, 167 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:27,096 {\an8}the people of Burford stopped going to the toilet. 168 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:28,856 {\an8}No, no, see, this is it. 169 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:32,560 {\an8}Because the raw sewage is still going into the works... 170 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,000 {\an8}but there's nothing coming out. 171 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:40,400 {\an8}Now, that's just not right. 172 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:43,776 So what do we do? I don't know, 173 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,776 we go back to them and say, give us a bit more detail. 174 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:49,576 Is that Ashley and Peter? Yes. Yes, yes. 175 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:51,256 Well, thanks so much for taking my call. 176 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:53,456 {\an8}It's Commander Aylard here. 177 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:57,056 {\an8}External affairs and sustainability at Thames. 178 00:09:57,080 --> 00:09:58,456 Richard, lovely to speak with you. 179 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:00,896 Listen, I thought, well, why not get on the old dog and bone...? 180 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:02,896 Well, we appreciate you calling. Thank you. 181 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:05,136 Not at all. Having our feet held to the fire like this is the thing 182 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:06,456 that keeps us focused. 183 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:07,576 Yeah. What we've been doing, 184 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:10,976 we've been asking about this anomaly in the flow data. 185 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:15,736 On the 27th of December, there's no treated effluent 186 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:17,096 going back into the river. 187 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:20,336 Yeah. Nobody seems to be able to explain why that is. 188 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:22,336 It's taken too long to get to the bottom of this. 189 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:27,536 I've had to put some rockets up a few jacksies, frankly. 190 00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:32,256 Turns out the flow metres at Burford were on the blink. 191 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:35,336 Heavy rain. The sewage flow was normal, 192 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:40,016 but the... the sensors weren't generating any data. 193 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:45,720 Safe to assume the people of Burford did not stop discharging. 194 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:50,840 The measurements were temporarily interrupted. 195 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:53,856 And we'd like to invite you 196 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:57,376 on a tour of the Burford works. 197 00:10:57,400 --> 00:10:59,496 It's just strange, isn't it, that, 198 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:03,176 um, all of the sensors stopped working at that one point? 199 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:05,336 We can't think of any other explanation, frankly. 200 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:07,976 But you know, I won't be there, regrettably. 201 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,136 But Leonie will be there, and you'll be in very good hands. 202 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:12,816 You know, of course, we'd like to do more. 203 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:14,016 But the challenge is 204 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:17,256 that Burford's sewers are basically Victorian. 205 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:19,656 Does anyone actually work here? 206 00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:21,736 It's an unmanned facility. 207 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:23,840 It should be unpeopled really, shouldn't it? 208 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,496 Did they have unpeopled works in Victorian times? 209 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:29,536 Good lord, no. 210 00:11:29,560 --> 00:11:34,096 But we do have a state-of-the-art network of sensors which track 211 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:37,896 all the treated fluid and effluent through the works. 212 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:41,536 So nobody... nobody works here. 213 00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:44,576 The sensors automatically transmit data 214 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:49,096 to our waste operation control centre in Reading 24 hours a day. 215 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:50,136 Right. 216 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:51,880 {\an8}That's what we call the telemetry. 217 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:56,296 {\an8}And what happens if something breaks down? 218 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:58,416 Oh, so our works are serviced 219 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:00,896 by a team of mobile engineers. 220 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:03,536 If a piece of kit malfunctions, 221 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:05,496 a trigger will sensor an alarm 222 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,256 and an engineer is dispatched within two hours. 223 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:09,440 Oh, right. Oh. 224 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:14,120 Oh, in here is where the engineers logbooks live. 225 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:17,736 They keep a record of anything 226 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:19,216 that happens in one of these. 227 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:21,216 But the stuff up here, this is the really exciting part. 228 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:22,816 So this is all the live, 229 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:26,656 real time data being uploaded from the plants. 230 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:29,536 Yes, I can see it's quite extensive, isn't it? 231 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:33,936 You can see the information coming through, can't you? 232 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:35,216 Mm. Yeah. 233 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:38,256 It's funny because, like, you know, all the data's being pumped out. 234 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:40,416 You can see it, but actually no-one's looking at it. 235 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:43,816 You could save a bit of electricity there, couldn't you? 236 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:46,376 What's that over there? You've got... a cafe? 237 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:49,336 No, that is our dedicated breakout zone, 238 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:52,896 you know, for teas, coffees, relaxation. 239 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:55,896 Um, yeah. Inviting. Inviting, isn't it? 240 00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:57,296 Yeah. No. It's nice, I like it. 241 00:12:57,320 --> 00:12:59,776 It's just nobody's here to enjoy the tea. 242 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:01,896 Oh, no. No. Well, thank God. 243 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:03,480 That would mean something's going wrong. 244 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:06,016 All right. Thank you. 245 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:08,336 Great. Yeah. Great. 246 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:10,776 Oh, sorry. There's a hole there. 247 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:15,136 Did anyone mention that we'd been invited to the town hall in Burford? 248 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:16,496 The commander wants us all there. 249 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:18,856 It's really exciting, actually. You know, we think it's important 250 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:21,800 that we hold our hands up when mistakes are made. 251 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:30,880 God! Did you see her... see her face? Like, "You do like..." 252 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:34,136 I can't believe it. 253 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:35,976 And we can ask for all the telemetry. 254 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:37,776 You know, they've got to give it to us. 255 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:41,216 That's... that's hundreds of thousands of data points, 256 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:42,936 and everything that goes on in the works. 257 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:45,776 No, no, just try not to get too excited. 258 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:48,456 Well, I'm just saying. 259 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:50,280 I'm just saying. Calm down. 260 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:58,256 OK. Have you been giving her plenty of liquids? 261 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:00,336 Yes. Yeah. Been keeping her warm? 262 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:01,456 Yes. Yeah. 263 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:04,536 Did everything you said. OK. And are there any more symptoms? 264 00:14:04,560 --> 00:14:05,880 Yes. 265 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:10,976 She's been bleeding from her backside, Doctor. 266 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:13,160 I'm calling an ambulance. 267 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:21,336 So, look, I've got the telemetry for Burford. 268 00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:23,936 And I've deciphered the engineers' handwriting. 269 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:29,136 27th of December. Engineer's name is Michael Lazarus. 270 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:31,736 ALARM BEEPS 271 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:37,496 It turns out here that at 5.08 on the morning of the 27th, 272 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:40,056 the alarm got triggered at the works. 273 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,816 The communications had failed. 274 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:45,936 But it must have been intermittent, 275 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:50,216 because at 6.08 the centre got a message to say 276 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,136 that both the main inlet pumps had failed. 277 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:56,136 TWO ALARMS ECHO 278 00:14:56,160 --> 00:15:01,536 Then at 8.16, another alarm was triggered. 279 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:02,616 THREE ALARM BLAST 280 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:04,320 The storm tank was overflowing. 281 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:07,560 And that's when the dumping started. 282 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:13,456 So the pumps have packed up, the storm tank's overflowing. 283 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:15,416 You've got three alarms sounding. 284 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:17,880 Obviously, they've dispatched an engineer. 285 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:21,496 Not for 5.5 hours. 286 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:22,856 ALARMS BLAST 287 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:24,240 Fuck! 288 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:28,520 ENGINEER: 289 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:39,600 I don't need this shit. 290 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:47,256 Storm tanks filled to the top. 291 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:50,016 All the sewage is flushing into the river. 292 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,176 ALARMS BLAST 293 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:53,560 Set. 294 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:00,576 Return liquor pump reset. 295 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:02,360 Might fail again. 296 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:06,280 Don't know how long this is going to hold. 297 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:08,960 Trying my best here. 298 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:11,216 Everything's failing. 299 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:13,776 He did what he could to patch things up, 300 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:17,016 but by then it's been dumping sewage into 301 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:19,496 the Windrush for over five hours. 302 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:21,936 And we know, we know that there wasn't any 303 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,536 heavy rainfall like Aylard said, 304 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:26,696 because it didn't even rain on that day. 305 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:31,896 Yeah. And then the oxidation tank failed on the 28th. 306 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,616 The rotation arms packed up on the 29th. 307 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:37,416 Burford was falling apart. 308 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:38,856 Couldn't handle all the sewage it was taking in, 309 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:42,536 so it was just flushing everything into the river. 310 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:44,456 And I feel that Mick is the kind 311 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:48,136 of person who's in the habit of telling the truth, don't you? 312 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:50,680 Yeah. What about Commander Aylard? 313 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:54,040 MONITOR BEEPS 314 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:06,336 The results are back from the lab. It's quite serious. 315 00:17:06,360 --> 00:17:09,040 Heather has been infected with E coli... 316 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:14,040 the most aggressive strain - O157. 317 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:20,016 We're going to keep her comfortable, keep an eye on her, 318 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:22,040 and hope that it passes through sleep. 319 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:25,936 It's possible that the virus 320 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:28,456 could attack Heather's kidney functions, 321 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:31,600 which might have serious consequences for other organs. 322 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:40,656 ALARM BEEPS 323 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:43,336 This was really about a temporary 324 00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:45,336 malfunction to the alarm, 325 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:47,256 we think at least partly caused by 326 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:48,776 the heavy rainfall that day, 327 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:52,656 rather than any actual interruption to the treatment process. 328 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:55,296 So what I'd like to do... Sorry. 329 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,496 Can I, um, can I say a few words, Commander? 330 00:17:58,520 --> 00:17:59,576 Yes. Of course. 331 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:01,216 There was no heavy rain. 332 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:04,080 Um. In fact, um... 333 00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:06,856 it didn't rain at all. 334 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:08,856 If you'll bear with me. 335 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:12,936 What I have here is the engineer's logbooks. 336 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:16,096 The engineer is called Michael Lazarus. 337 00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:20,456 And what you can see from Mr Lazarus's logs is that 338 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:25,296 the alarms were, in effect, functioning as normal. 339 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,856 They were triggered as soon as the flooding began. 340 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:31,976 But the thing is, Mr Lazarus was not dispatched to the works 341 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,496 for more than five hours. 342 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:36,536 The plant was falling apart. 343 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,136 It couldn't treat the sewage it was taking in, 344 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:44,120 and so it was just pumping it all out directly into the river. 345 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:50,296 Well, um, thanks so much, Ash. 346 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:55,896 And to you, Peter. It does look as though I've been misinformed, 347 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:58,776 and I intend to get to the bottom of this. 348 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:01,776 And I'll be putting my thumb on whoever's... 349 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:04,016 So what are you going to do about what these two gentlemen have said? 350 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:08,176 What's going to happen now? I think that we are both shocked, 351 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:12,096 absolutely shocked to hear that information, because... 352 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:15,696 You've said one thing. They've actually backed up with evidence 353 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:17,736 something completely the opposite. 354 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:19,176 Our river... 355 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:22,936 you're just dumping in and just covering everything up. 356 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:23,976 And making money. 357 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,416 And what what's the long-term problems for the wildlife, 358 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:28,856 the fish and the birds? 359 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:32,816 What's happening with those? The ecological welfare of our rivers 360 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:37,136 and our waterways is something that we find incredibly important. 361 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:41,536 And what are you doing? Nothing. You're polluting our water. 362 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,016 I wouldn't even let my dog swim in the river now. 363 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:47,736 It's disgusting. It is a highest, highest priority 364 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:50,296 that we will be fixing this as soon as possible. 365 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:51,456 I can assure you, 366 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:55,696 from all of us at Thames Water, we are working night and day... 367 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:57,456 I think we need to have a debrief. 368 00:19:57,480 --> 00:19:59,336 I do, I do as well. All right, thank you, sir. 369 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:00,496 Thank you for um... Thank you. 370 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:02,840 Thank you. Thank you very much for our meeting. Thank you. 371 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,456 Shall we go outside? Yes. 372 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:09,120 I think he just lied to us. 373 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:12,176 Just straight up and down to our faces. 374 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:14,456 Well, no. He said he was misinformed. 375 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:16,176 Princess Diana's equerry. 376 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:17,896 I mean... What is that, by the way? 377 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:19,856 I don't know. 378 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:21,816 It helps when people lie. 379 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:24,240 It's how you know they've got something to hide. 380 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:42,296 I mean, it's ammonia 381 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:44,216 we need to keep an eye out because that's going 382 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:47,536 to read high right after they've dumped the sewage. 383 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:51,736 Fuck me. It's... it is actually like one of your cases, isn't it? 384 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:53,336 Not really. No. 385 00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:57,696 It's more real-time monitoring of the river. 386 00:20:57,720 --> 00:20:59,840 And the outflow pipes as well. 387 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:05,816 So the question is, is Burford acting alone? 388 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:09,736 Because there's what, seven... Seven. 389 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:12,616 Seven works along the Windrush. 390 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:15,336 So we need to know if Burford is an outlier. 391 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:17,536 You know, a single failing plant. 392 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:22,056 Like a lone assassin, just killing everything that lives in the water. 393 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:24,376 Or are there more like Burford? 394 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:28,416 Well, I mean, I suppose I could order... order the telemetry 395 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:30,160 and get it for all of them. Yeah. 396 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:43,080 Dear EIR team, I would be grateful if you could supply... 397 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:01,560 Your sincerely, Professor Peter Hammond. 398 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:09,240 I can't find a pulse. 399 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:14,760 Is there nothing? 400 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:18,080 That's weird. 401 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:25,240 No, I can't feel anything. No. 402 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:29,560 Somebody call for help! Get help. Can we get a doctor in here, please? 403 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:38,296 What have you done to your finger? 404 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:39,760 Oh, I don't know. 405 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:42,976 I woke up this morning, it was like that. 406 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:44,016 It feels a bit weird. 407 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:46,296 Well, don't you think that Charlie should take a look at that? 408 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:47,976 I mean, she is... she is a chemist, isn't she? 409 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:49,896 I know she's a chemist. I live with her. 410 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:51,376 OK, so you know that they sent me 411 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:55,856 all these data flows from the works at Witney and at Church Hanborough. 412 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,536 Yeah. But what I've done is I've converted 413 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:02,600 the programme that I built for the foetal alcohol kids. 414 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:09,376 What happened there was that the mothers, 415 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:11,056 they were being paid in wine, 416 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:14,880 so most of their children had foetal alcohol syndrome. 417 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:17,936 {\an8}What I did was that I took... 418 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:22,120 {\an8}I took thousands of photographs of these FAS kids. 419 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:27,336 And so by showing the machine, hundreds of these faces 420 00:23:27,360 --> 00:23:30,936 of these unborn children, we taught it to spot the features 421 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:33,720 of foetal alcohol syndrome in the womb. 422 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,456 So when the programme sees it in a scan, 423 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:46,696 then it can tell the doctor straight away, 424 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:50,080 and then they can start helping the mother and the kid. 425 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:56,936 Now, Burford does most of its heavy-lifting during early morning, 426 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:00,016 just before everyone goes to work, and then again 427 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,776 in the evening, when they come back home. 428 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:07,296 So we can see the flows of treated effluent hitting 429 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:09,016 the daily peaks and troughs. 430 00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:11,856 Now, that's when the penny dropped. 431 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:16,776 The thing is, that is just like the contours 432 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,136 on a baby's face. 433 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:21,016 By showing the machine 434 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:24,096 nine years of this flow data, 435 00:24:24,120 --> 00:24:28,376 I've taught it to recognise when the usual flows, 436 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:30,896 they don't... they don't show up. 437 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:34,096 When the everyday flows are missing, 438 00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:37,056 well, they're not treating the sewage. 439 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:38,656 And if they're not treating the sewage, 440 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:43,456 there's nowhere for it to go. Except... Into the river. 441 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:45,400 Except into the river. 442 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:10,240 {\an8}We've decided to transfer Heather to the Bristol Hospital for children. 443 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:13,416 {\an8}It's one of the best in the country. 444 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:15,000 {\an8}They'll be able to look after her there. 445 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:17,920 It's getting bigger, I think. 446 00:25:19,120 --> 00:25:21,376 Have you been in the river again? Yeah. Yeah. 447 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:23,616 Did you have any cuts? 448 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:25,536 Yeah. I, er... 449 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:28,816 I pricked my finger on a thorn when I was setting up the camera. 450 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:30,776 Before or after you went into the river? 451 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:32,720 Before. Right. 452 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:37,416 So if there's a pathogen in the water, 453 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:41,840 you've given it direct entry into your bloodstream. 454 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:44,336 Is that bad? 455 00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:48,480 It's bad, you muppet. You need antibiotics. 456 00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:51,656 You know, a lot of sewage has drugs in it, 457 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:55,096 and if they mix with bacteria, 458 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:59,376 then the bacteria becomes antibiotic resistant, 459 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:02,936 which means that the antibiotics might not work on you. 460 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:07,456 So they might have to try different types of medication on you. 461 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:08,976 Oh, God. 462 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:10,200 Hold on. 463 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:14,896 What's that? What are you doing? 464 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:18,216 I'm just drawing on you. 465 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:21,280 Why? Because if it... If it gets bigger, then we will know. 466 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:24,936 That looks worse now. 467 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:28,856 So that's where she drew the marker. And that's how much bigger 468 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:30,776 it's got gone in, like, two days. 469 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:32,176 Bloody hell! And that is just 470 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:34,176 from putting your hand in the river. 471 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:36,896 Yep. I'm an idiot. We know that. 472 00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:39,816 But, I mean, if it's doing that to your hand, 473 00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:41,936 just think about what it's doing to all the creatures 474 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:43,056 that live in the river. 475 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:45,776 Exactly. What was it you wanted to show me? 476 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,136 Oh, yeah. Well, you know, I've got all this data through from. 477 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:51,536 Northleach. You know, we went to the Wheatsheaf there. 478 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:53,816 Oh, yeah. That was overpriced for what it was. 479 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:56,776 Well, you thought so, but... Anyway, look, 480 00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:59,056 they must have sent this by mistake 481 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:01,296 because I'm pretty sure they haven't read it. Why? 482 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:02,456 Why do you say that? 483 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:05,616 Because it says here that the works at Northleach, 484 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:08,760 they haven't treated any sewage for three and a half months. 485 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,576 So... so either the good people of Northridge 486 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:15,416 have been holding it in for three and a half months, or... 487 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:20,616 I know they did not do that because I have the logbooks, 488 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:25,000 and Northleach is on Michael Lazarus's beat. 489 00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:29,336 Fucking hate my life. 490 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:31,520 ALARM BLASTS, ELECTRICITY CRACKLES 491 00:27:36,360 --> 00:27:37,400 Fuck. 492 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:40,440 MICHAEL: 493 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:49,200 Storm tank high alarm sounding for nearly 48 hours now. 494 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:59,120 All four biofilters not rotating. No flow coming into the works. 495 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:15,800 Fuck's sake! Of course... 496 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:19,480 ALARMS CONTINUE 497 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:30,280 Site's still heavily flooded. 498 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:37,000 Roadside flooding believed to have been caused by this. 499 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:40,840 Oh! Fuck off! 500 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:44,416 Oh, for fuck's sake! 501 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:46,720 ALARMS CONTINUE 502 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:50,360 Ughhh. 503 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:55,280 Yeah. Liam. Yeah. Listen, mate, I'm at Northleach. 504 00:28:56,680 --> 00:28:58,376 Powers gone, mate. Power's packed up. 505 00:28:58,400 --> 00:28:59,480 Generator's gone. 506 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:01,776 Mate, it's gone. 507 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,376 We can't treat sewage without any power. 508 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,640 We're either backing up or we're dumping it straight into the river. 509 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:10,960 Oh, and Liam, mate... 510 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:14,520 {\an8}there's sewage coming up from the ground. 511 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:33,376 Thames's own data shows Northleach hasn't treated any sewage 512 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:35,856 for three and a half months. Yeah. 513 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:37,160 So look... 514 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:42,536 that's two works within a few miles of each other, 515 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:45,616 both rotting into the sludge, both dumping illegally. 516 00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:48,256 We've got to get this to the Environment Agency. 517 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:50,656 {\an8}They've got prosecuting powers. What do you mean? 518 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:52,936 {\an8}Well, they don't have to show their evidence to the police. 519 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:56,280 {\an8}These are crimes. They can prosecute privately. 520 00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:00,576 {\an8}What, so they can just... just take Thames to court? 521 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:02,016 {\an8}Yes. 522 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:03,736 {\an8}They're the sewage police. 523 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:07,216 Wow. Uh, can anyone else do that? 524 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:09,920 Post office. The post office? That's unusual. 525 00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:14,136 I see that your swelling's gone down. 526 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:18,200 Yeah, yeah, the antibiotics are kicking in, thank God. 527 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:22,360 And it's about keeping us a little bit more local. 528 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:26,160 {\an8}So I'm just going to fold this up, actually. 529 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:30,616 {\an8}We want to strip out 530 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:34,216 as much unnecessary regulation as possible. 531 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:37,576 So under operator self-monitoring, 532 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:40,616 we're going to be asking the water companies to monitor 533 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:45,456 their own environmental performance, flagging any breaches 534 00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:47,536 to us as a priority. 535 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:50,216 I... Um, sorry, I don't understand. 536 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:55,856 So, you want water companies to monitor their own pollution? 537 00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:59,936 Yeah, it's about shifting the burden of regulation 538 00:30:59,960 --> 00:31:03,376 onto the companies and asking the water companies 539 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:06,680 if there's been a pollution to give us the details. 540 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:10,776 Uh... Hang on, hang on. 541 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:15,536 Just... just to be clear, you want us 542 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:21,176 to ask the water companies to tell us when they've dumped sewage? 543 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:24,536 It's about pivoting away from... 544 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:30,176 away from on site inspections to a more desk-based approach. 545 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:33,616 Yeah, it's sort of streamlining our process. 546 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:36,936 So you want us to stop visiting sewage works? 547 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:40,016 No, no. We'll still be doing on site inspections. 548 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:43,376 Yeah. Of course. Um, provided that we give the company 549 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:44,976 two weeks' notice of our visit. 550 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:46,776 Yeah, but that's a... that is a problem 551 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:48,456 because... Well... Sorry, again. 552 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:52,736 Yeah. Um, but if we give the water companies two weeks' notice... Yeah. 553 00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:55,176 They'll just clean up before we get there. Yeah. 554 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:57,336 I mean, it is an honour system. 555 00:31:57,360 --> 00:32:01,736 So if the companies say that there hasn't been an incident, 556 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:04,896 I don't think we should go looking for reasons to challenge that. 557 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:10,056 So what you're saying is regulate yourselves, 558 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:13,760 and then just let us know if you've committed any crimes. 559 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:18,200 Yeah. 560 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:20,576 Thanks so much. 561 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:22,160 OK. See you. 562 00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:24,480 Ohh! 563 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:30,816 To Julia Simpson, area director, Environment Agency. 564 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:35,296 Dear Julia, I live in Oxfordshire, near the River Windrush. 565 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:37,216 My neighbour, Professor Peter Hammond, 566 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:41,256 and I have been gathering evidence of sewage discharges 567 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:43,176 into our river by Thames Water. 568 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:45,056 We'd like to bring what we've learned 569 00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:47,336 to the attention of the Environment Agency. 570 00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:51,096 Dear Julia, we'd like to invite you to meet some members 571 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:54,496 of our group to discuss issues of sewage pollution. 572 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:56,976 Dear Julia, we are going to take a trip 573 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:58,936 down the river on foot and by boat, 574 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:01,856 looking at possible sources of sewage pollution. 575 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:04,096 Would the Environment Agency be interested? 576 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:09,320 Dear Julia, we are still waiting for a suitable point of contact. 577 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:15,936 {\an8}Dear Ashley, the Department For The Environment 578 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:20,600 will provide you with a full response by the 8th of June 2018. 579 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:24,016 She's got an MBE, 580 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:25,920 and a bloody big salmon. 581 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:30,096 Why is she taking so long to get back to us? 582 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:33,736 Doesn't she realise we're doing her job for her? I don't know. 583 00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:35,600 I might put in a complaint. 584 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:19,136 MOBILE BUZZES 585 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:21,096 Hello? Mr Smith. 586 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,656 It's Julia Simpson from the Environment Agency. 587 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:26,296 I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. 588 00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:29,936 Honestly, waiting for Defra. It is maddening. 589 00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:33,936 Well, we found each other now. We wanted to ask about how 590 00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:38,160 the agency monitors sewage dumps into the river. 591 00:34:39,520 --> 00:34:40,640 Spills? Yes. 592 00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:45,536 Well, as you probably know, we manage operator self-monitoring. 593 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:48,576 What? Operator self-monitoring. What's that? 594 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:52,936 Yes, it's for Thames Water to report any potential breaches. 595 00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:55,216 You mean it's Thames's job 596 00:34:55,240 --> 00:34:57,360 to tell you when they've dumped sewage? 597 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:01,976 To report potential pollution incidents. Yes. 598 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:03,616 And what if they don't report them? 599 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:08,576 We would expect Thames to report 100% of pollution incidents. 600 00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:13,360 So it's not even your responsibility to inspect the works. 601 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:18,440 For...? Well, to see if they're working. 602 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:23,536 No. Absolutely. We inspect the treatment works. 603 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:25,736 Yes, of course we do. How often? 604 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:29,496 Well, we would inspect perhaps once every few days, 605 00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:32,056 up to perhaps once every six months, 606 00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:34,560 depending on the inspection team's judgment. 607 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:39,656 Listen, we're aware that there's been some discussion locally around 608 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:41,176 water quality on the Windrush, 609 00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:44,576 and in fact we've just completed a new survey. 610 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:46,856 So I was thinking it would be a good idea 611 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:48,856 for me to take up your invitation, 612 00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:53,536 come down to the village hall and to go over some of the results. 613 00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:57,656 So the good news is that our testing shows 614 00:35:57,680 --> 00:35:59,816 that there's no evidence 615 00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:02,136 that the Windrush is seriously polluted, 616 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:05,216 or that the quality of the water has declined. 617 00:36:05,240 --> 00:36:08,936 We do know that the river is more brown these days, 618 00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:10,296 but our evidence has shown 619 00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:14,616 that this brown colour has got nothing to do with sewage. 620 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:18,976 Uh, sorry, we've spoken earlier on the telephone. 621 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:22,216 I wonder if you could confirm something you told me then, 622 00:36:22,240 --> 00:36:25,736 that, um, the agency inspects all the works 623 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:29,936 along the Windrush between every two to three days and every six months. 624 00:36:29,960 --> 00:36:31,016 Yes. That's right. 625 00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:32,376 Professor Peter Hammond, 626 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:36,096 and I'm also part of this Windrush group. 627 00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:39,416 A colleague of yours told me that actually 628 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:42,816 you only inspect once every eight years. 629 00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:46,736 And also, I've just been... Listen. I've been... I've been running 630 00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:50,976 your figures. And, um, so you've only done about half of 631 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:55,016 the inspections that you needed to have been doing. 632 00:36:55,040 --> 00:37:01,616 In fact, you've only been visiting the works once every 16 years. 633 00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:05,336 We also took a look at your water quality tests. 634 00:37:05,360 --> 00:37:07,016 And the thing is, they were 635 00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:10,976 all carried out upstream from all the major sewage works. 636 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:13,256 It's almost as if you've chosen the cleanest 637 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:16,016 part of the river to conduct your test. 638 00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:17,776 PEOPLE REMONSTRATE 639 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:22,056 The river is actually devoid of anything in there. 640 00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:24,216 The fish and all the wildfowl 641 00:37:24,240 --> 00:37:26,216 and everything that leads on from that, 642 00:37:26,240 --> 00:37:30,816 from your kingfishers to everything, you've absolutely ruined this place 643 00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:33,440 and you should be bloody well ashamed of yourself. 644 00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:40,616 And the watercress banks. 645 00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:43,096 You destroyed the watercress beds as well. 646 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:45,736 That used to be a source of industry years ago. 647 00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:50,376 Totally gone. We will be taking all your feedback into consideration. 648 00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:52,496 I will have to go away... 649 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:55,656 And we will listen to your feedback. 650 00:37:55,680 --> 00:37:56,776 I promise you. 651 00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:58,096 When? When? 652 00:37:58,120 --> 00:37:59,360 Thank you. 653 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:26,936 Uh, is it Mr Lazarus? My name's Ash Smith. 654 00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:28,896 This is my colleague, Professor Peter Hammond. 655 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:31,496 We're doing some research on Thames Water, 656 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:35,376 and, er, well, listen, it's all off the record. 657 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:38,816 We're not disclosing the names of anyone we talk to. 658 00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:40,800 We wondered if you could spare ten minutes. 659 00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:52,656 People call me Mickey, first of all. Thank you very much for coming here. 660 00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:55,976 I know it's not easy. We appreciate you so much, I can't tell you. 661 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:57,656 I'm not a grass. OK. 662 00:38:57,680 --> 00:39:01,136 So I did grass on my mate like in year eight back in the day. 663 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:02,896 But this is different from grass, right? 664 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:05,776 This is like blowing the whistle. I told you, I'm an ex-copper. Yeah. 665 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:07,656 You've told me that as well. That's made me nervous. 666 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:10,336 This is not... Grassing is like when you grass your mates, 667 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:11,576 and blowing the whistle - 668 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:14,576 whistle-blowing - is when you like grass on your boss. 669 00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:16,016 Right? 670 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:19,280 We're going to start. All right, check this out. 671 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:24,416 {\an8}Most water companies get sold every ten years or so. 672 00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:27,056 JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, 673 00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:29,416 Kuwait sovereign fund, 674 00:39:29,440 --> 00:39:30,976 Chinese banks, 675 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:32,160 we've had them all, mate. 676 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:41,296 So, Macquarie bought us in 2006. 677 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:44,896 That's the... That's the Australian hedge fund. 678 00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:46,976 It's known as the millionaires' factory, 679 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:50,376 such are the reputed riches of many of Macquarie's key executives. 680 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:52,536 It's a vampire kangaroo. That's it. 681 00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:54,776 And they've earned that name because they are bloodsuckers. 682 00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:58,376 Leading companies rely on Macquarie for advice, access to capital... 683 00:39:58,400 --> 00:39:59,776 The first thing they did 684 00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:03,896 was sell our offices and then rent them back to us. 685 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:04,976 What? Wrong 'uns. 686 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:07,216 They make Del Boy look like a fucking amateur. 687 00:40:07,240 --> 00:40:09,136 Then they said that we had to get 688 00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:12,576 management clearance to buy pens. 689 00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:15,936 Right to the top to buy a Biro, not even a Parker. 690 00:40:15,960 --> 00:40:18,176 Not a fancy pen, just a normal pen. 691 00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:19,616 Piss-take. All right? 692 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:21,136 Now, let's say this. Right. 693 00:40:21,160 --> 00:40:22,616 A pipe's broken, what do you do? 694 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:23,776 Normally you take it out, 695 00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:25,416 you put a new one in. 696 00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:28,456 They would tell us to stick a collar around it. 697 00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:30,216 It's not gonna hold. What's a collar? 698 00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:32,216 It's just like sticking plaster. It's not gonna hold. 699 00:40:32,240 --> 00:40:34,816 It's a temporary fix. The pipe's still rotten. 700 00:40:34,840 --> 00:40:37,096 OK? It's gonna go again. It's a botched job. 701 00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:38,256 It's like Frankenstein. 702 00:40:38,280 --> 00:40:40,616 So, why don't they want to do it properly? 703 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:43,216 Why don't they want to spend money and seal it properly? 704 00:40:43,240 --> 00:40:44,936 They don't give a monkey's about the works. 705 00:40:44,960 --> 00:40:47,096 You know why? Because they're gonna flip you. 706 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:50,536 If they don't want to spend any money on it, 707 00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:52,656 how are they going to maintain your works? 708 00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:54,856 They don't give a shit. You know why? 709 00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:56,576 They're like dodgy house flippers. 710 00:40:56,600 --> 00:40:58,416 They're gonna go in there, it's still rotten inside, 711 00:40:58,440 --> 00:40:59,976 and they flip it. They're out. 712 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:01,680 That's why I bank with Macquarie. 713 00:41:03,240 --> 00:41:05,216 Macquarie, when they flogged us, 714 00:41:05,240 --> 00:41:09,216 they walked away with around 2.8 billion quid. 715 00:41:09,240 --> 00:41:10,280 It's scandalous. 716 00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:14,416 So, how do you know all this, then, Mickey? 717 00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:16,936 I started working for Thames when I was 16, right? 718 00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:19,080 On my second day, I joined the union. 719 00:41:20,240 --> 00:41:21,976 I get people ringing me up every day. 720 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:26,136 "Mickey, it's all falling apart. We can't keep it going." 721 00:41:26,160 --> 00:41:27,896 Pete, if you were there, working there, 722 00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:29,536 you were an engineer, you know, 723 00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:31,056 and the pumps ain't working, 724 00:41:31,080 --> 00:41:33,536 you're at capacity, what's your best option? 725 00:41:33,560 --> 00:41:35,096 Well, the best option, obviously, 726 00:41:35,120 --> 00:41:38,096 is just to get rid of the sewage, I suppose. 727 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:43,120 The only option is to press the button that flushes it all out. 728 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:48,776 I'm not proud to admit that and I feel guilty, you know? 729 00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:51,736 I see people swimming in the... in these rivers 730 00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:53,656 and their kids swim in the rivers. 731 00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:55,856 What am I supposed to do? I know what goes in there. 732 00:41:55,880 --> 00:41:56,920 I put it in there. 733 00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:00,320 We're at tipping point here, fellas. 734 00:42:04,120 --> 00:42:07,296 So, we have run the brain tests. 735 00:42:07,320 --> 00:42:09,096 Heather's brain has lost the ability 736 00:42:09,120 --> 00:42:13,120 to control her vital organs and, unfortunately, they are failing. 737 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:16,920 I'm really very sorry... 738 00:42:18,720 --> 00:42:19,776 but I think it's time 739 00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:21,920 we consider turning off her ventilators. 740 00:43:09,120 --> 00:43:10,896 AMY: Dear Professor Hammond, 741 00:43:10,920 --> 00:43:14,896 I'm a member of Citizens Against South West Water. 742 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:16,416 We formed a year ago to fight 743 00:43:16,440 --> 00:43:19,056 the company's sewage dumping in our bit of Devon. 744 00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:20,456 One of our group 745 00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:23,920 was recently given these, which we thought you should see. 746 00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:33,456 "A girl of eight may have been the first person in Britain 747 00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:38,416 "to have contracted fatal E.coli poisoning from raw sewage. 748 00:43:38,440 --> 00:43:39,936 "Ten other people, 749 00:43:39,960 --> 00:43:41,896 "including four children, 750 00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:45,256 "who all visited the beach on July the 28th," 751 00:43:45,280 --> 00:43:49,960 "were also struck down by the same bacterial strain." 752 00:43:51,520 --> 00:43:53,920 "Heather Preen died of E.coli." 753 00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:06,000 If you like, we could bring her over to you. 754 00:44:11,240 --> 00:44:12,480 There we go. 755 00:44:13,840 --> 00:44:17,856 All right. There we go. All right. MUM SOBS. 756 00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:20,120 We'll just leave you together for a little while now, OK? 757 00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:26,680 You're all right. 758 00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:33,640 SHE SOBS 759 00:44:39,120 --> 00:44:40,200 You're all right. 760 00:44:42,560 --> 00:44:43,600 You're all right. 761 00:44:56,760 --> 00:45:00,216 Sorry. OK, there we go. 762 00:45:00,240 --> 00:45:01,936 All right. 763 00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:03,000 There we go. 764 00:45:04,120 --> 00:45:06,696 Be careful with her head. It's OK, I've got her. 765 00:45:06,720 --> 00:45:07,720 We're fine, come on. 766 00:45:39,760 --> 00:45:40,800 Thank you. 767 00:45:41,880 --> 00:45:43,920 Yeah, s... Yeah, sorry. Yeah. 768 00:45:47,840 --> 00:45:49,360 Thank you. Thank you. 769 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:55,256 Right, yeah. 770 00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:57,560 SHE SNIFFLES 771 00:46:09,080 --> 00:46:10,776 So, you know how I taught 772 00:46:10,800 --> 00:46:14,016 the machine to look for the anomalies 773 00:46:14,040 --> 00:46:16,696 in Witney and Church Hanborough? 774 00:46:16,720 --> 00:46:20,256 Yeah, all right. What, have you been free jazzing your numbers again? 775 00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:21,976 Well, it's actually a lot of hard work, you know? 776 00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:24,296 No, I know. Sorry, sorry. I'm just looking for the patterns 777 00:46:24,320 --> 00:46:27,336 and spotting the deviations. Yeah, right. 778 00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:30,256 And you know that... You do know that 779 00:46:30,280 --> 00:46:32,336 when the machine sees an abnormality, 780 00:46:32,360 --> 00:46:35,536 it can only mean one thing - that it's dumping sewage. 781 00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:40,736 Yes. OK. So, in the nine years that I've dated for 782 00:46:40,760 --> 00:46:43,096 at these two works alone, 783 00:46:43,120 --> 00:46:45,416 Witney and Church Hanborough, 784 00:46:45,440 --> 00:46:49,360 they've dumped sewage a thousand times. 785 00:46:51,720 --> 00:46:53,480 These aren't accidents, Ash. 786 00:46:54,640 --> 00:46:55,880 It's a policy. 787 00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:01,800 This is starting to look like organised crime. 788 00:47:11,880 --> 00:47:13,680 {\an8}COUGHING Fuck! 789 00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:16,416 {\an8}Nah, this isn't right. 790 00:47:16,440 --> 00:47:18,160 {\an8}That's BLEEP. 791 00:47:19,640 --> 00:47:20,856 {\an8}No, this ain't right. 792 00:47:20,880 --> 00:47:23,456 That's pure sewage. 793 00:47:23,480 --> 00:47:25,216 You say you've got insufficient evidence, 794 00:47:25,240 --> 00:47:27,016 but we keep giving you the evidence. 795 00:47:27,040 --> 00:47:29,016 All we ever do is give you the evidence. 796 00:47:29,040 --> 00:47:31,496 If you don't know what caused the infection, 797 00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:32,816 then you need to shut down the beach. 798 00:47:32,840 --> 00:47:33,976 That's not going to happen. 799 00:47:34,000 --> 00:47:36,736 {\an8}I wonder if we should be calling it an outbreak. 800 00:47:36,760 --> 00:47:38,736 It feels like the kind of term that could alarm people. 801 00:47:38,760 --> 00:47:40,976 We are conducting an investigation under section 108 802 00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:43,016 of the Environmental Act. Whoa, whoa, whoa... 803 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:45,896 Close the beach before this happens to somebody else. 804 00:47:45,920 --> 00:47:46,936 With their kids, 805 00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:50,496 with fishing nets sitting amongst turds. 806 00:47:50,520 --> 00:47:51,600 Reuben! 807 00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:55,480 Come on. Reuben! 808 00:47:56,600 --> 00:47:57,960 We need another whistleblower. 809 00:49:52,520 --> 00:49:55,640 Subtitles by Red Bee Media