A river campaign group has unveiled a new billboard, criticising Thames Water for discharging sewage. 

Dubbed the ‘Pooster,’ the 48 sheet billboard launched by River Action, is constructed from fake £50 notes, stained brown with sterilised manure and mixed with water from polluted beaches, rivers and streams across the UK. 

The ‘Pooster’ displays a caption: “This money is stained with crap, just like water company profits’.

This is part of River Action’s wider campaign against water pollution and was officially launched with a crowd of wild swimmers at 10am on Monday, October 21 ahead of the March for Clean Water, set to take place in central London on November 3. 

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River Action revealed that since January 1 earlier this year Thames Water has discharged at least 7,002 hours of untreated human sewage into the River Thames, equal to 291 days.

Amy Fairman, head of campaigns at River Action, said: “Water companies like Thames Water are up to their necks in it, treating our rivers, seas and lakes like open sewers. Meanwhile they squander bill payers cash with impunity, splashing it on shareholder dividends, bonuses for their bosses and paying huge levels of interest on their junk-rated debt.

“Our ‘Pooster’ drives home the point: the financial gains they make are filthy money. It’s time for change. The UK public is fed up with sewage-drenched waterways and our campaign demands urgent reform.”

Laura Reineke from the Henley Mermaids attended the Pooster launch with her fellow wild swimmers, in bathing costumes and hats.

She said: “Our beautiful river Thames is being used as an open sewer, the epically mismanaged monopoly that is Thames Water is in charge of our precious blue space. This has to change! 

“We are fed up with swimming in poo. Freshwater species are declining at a rate of five times that of species that live on land, our biodiversity needs rescuing.

"Our river is visibly poorly, choking in chemical's and suffocating in poo. This assault on our wildlife and our health has to stop, water should be run for the benefit of humans and the wildlife that calls it home.”

A Thames Water spokesman said: “While all storm discharges are unacceptable, the sewage system was historically designed to work in this way, to prevent sewage backing up into people’s homes. 

“As infrastructure ages and demand on it increases, more investment is needed across the entire sector. That’s why we’ve asked for increased investment in the next regulatory cycle between 2025-2030.”