Thames Water dumps sewage in this river legally. He cleaned it up, now he faces jail

Doing the right thing doesn’t always bring recognition; sometimes it puts you in the sights of a flawed system. Paul Powlesland, a lawyer and environmental campaigner, is experiencing this firsthand. In February, he and the River Roding Trust ran a volunteer cleanup of Alders Brook in East London, UK. However, the Environmental Agency has since taken action against him for "unpermitted works," even as big companies like Thames Water are reportedly allowed to dump waste legally, according to a report by The Guardian on June 17, 2026.

The growing crisis

The ordeal started when Powlesland could no longer ignore the terrible condition of Alders Brook. The waterway had become overrun with debris, including drug needles, discarded weapons, rusted appliances, and even an entire moped. Concerned about this growing public safety hazard, the self-made river guardian decided to take action after witnessing the River Roding Trust's numerous attempts to get the Environment Agency to fulfill its responsibilities.

Taking action against the neglect

Refusing to let the tributary rot, Powlesland and a team of dedicated volunteers stepped up and successfully held a grueling 10-day cleanup project where they waded in the polluted waters to clear debris that had been gathering there for years. All of them chipped in about $1,300 of their own money to hire a digger to handle the heaviest and most dangerous waste. As a result, they were able to completely transform the area by extracting about 200 bags of waste from a 250-meter channel. 

The bureaucratic backlash

Nonetheless, while Powlesland and his team did a terrific job, their triumph was short-lived. Instead of receiving gratitude for their self-funded civic service, the lawyer was hit with an official letter from the Environment Agency, informing him that he was under investigation for operating without a license. "We consider that unpermitted works have taken place… in contravention of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016," the letter read. "The site is currently under investigation for permitting and waste offences."

Powlesland isn't backing down

The agency alleges that dredging has been carried out and the waste was left on site within the flood plain, constituting a flood-risk activity. For this, the environmental campaigner can face up to two years in prison. However, Powlesland, who lives on a boat on the Roding, claims that his actions only came after the EA refused to step up. At the same time, he pointed out the agency's double standards for taking action against him but not against "Thames Water for dumping billions of liters of sewage in the Roding." 

Reports backing Powlesland's statement

Research held out by Thames21 and River Roding Trust exposes a severe ecological crisis hitting London's third-longest river. During a recent testing window from May 15 to September 30, 2024, nine local sewer overflows discharged untreated waste into the river for a staggering 316 hours in total, frequently spilling between dry spells with minimal rainfall. Moreover, in Alders Brook specifically, this exact outflow caused the E. coli levels to spike up to 19 times the safe limit, while the nearby Cranbrook outflow dumped over 750,000 liters of raw sewage annually. 

Embarrassed the EA

People are extending their support to Powlesland, praising him for his efforts. @kiwimrsmac wrote, "You’ve embarrassed the @envagency, which is probably what they’re most upset about. If they truly cared about the environment, they’d be helping, not hindering. And I’m commenting from New Zealand, that’s how far your news has spread." At the same time, @geraldine.hudson_ commented, "You guys do amazing work!! Keep going! Shame on the EA — they should be doing this themselves!!"

You can follow Powlesland (@paul.powlesland) on Instagram for more updates. 

More on Scoop Upworthy

More than 63,000 pounds of trash removed from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Climate science undergrad spends more than 1000 straight days cleaning trash from his local parks

Nature lovers join hands to remove 310 pounds of trash left on beach by Hurricane Ian: 'Real change'