By the end of April, three of the previous five editions of the Newbury Weekly News had featured front page stories about sewage, quoting Carolyne and members of the public who had been affected. The Mirror, Daily Mail and Daily Express published stories about anti-sewage artwork that had popped up in Hampstead Norreys, attributed to the ‘Berkshire Banksy’. French newspaper Le Monde sent a reporter to write a story about the sewage and Carolyne accompanied her to Hampstead Norreys and the Lambourn Valley.
On 10 April Carolyne attended Pang Valley Flood Forum as flood warden for East Ilsley, and on 11 April Carolyne attended a public meeting about groundwater flooding and sewage in Hampstead Norreys organised by the village’s flood warden and parish council.
Carolyne’s fellow Green Party prospective parliamentary candidate for Newbury constituency, Steve Masters, helped organise a sewage pollution protest in Victoria Park, Newbury on 14 April. There were speakers from the Angling Trust, Action for the River Kennet, and the four main political parties. Baroness Jenny Jones spoke on behalf of the Green Party. Nearly 300 people attended.
In mid-April, Steve also contacted West Berkshire Council, requesting that they issue an ‘abatement notice’ against Thames Water for the ‘statutory nuisance’ caused by sewage discharges. Local authorities are obliged to do this. In late April the council issued a press release saying they would undertake site visits to gather evidence. Once again, it is Green Party councillors doing the research, consulting experts, and pushing for meaningful action from the authorities.
On 25 April while chairing Scrutiny Commission, Carolyne read out a detailed update about flooding and sewage in the district. In October 2024, Thames Water and the Environment Agency will be invited back to Scrutiny to be questioned again.
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