Anglian Water keeps discharging raw sewage into the River Colne upstream of Wivenhoe. I know this because I often see and smell it. Apparently, this is not illegal. Meanwhile, the chief executive has received £1.3m in pay, including a £337,651 bonus for keeping shareholders satisfied. I pay Anglian Water to properly dispose of my faeces, but it doesn’t. If I chose to withhold payment for the part of my water bill that relates to sewage disposal, and instead defecate into a bucket and chuck it in the river, am I breaking the law? Legal opinion gratefully received.
Dr Jon Scales
Wivenhoe, Essex
• We’ve been using a compost toilet for more than 10 years. It uses very little water, costs very little, makes excellent compost, and causes no damage to rivers. While I appreciate that most people don’t have a garden big enough to usefully use the resulting compost, surely it’s time for a rethink? We can’t go on wasting so much water, and sending so much plant nutrient into rivers while struggling to afford fertiliser.
John Pedersen
Totnes, Devon
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