Noisy Thames Water generator keeps residents of Thatcham awake through night

Noise coming from a sewage treatment works has kept residents awake all night in Thatcham.

A loud humming noise coming from the Newbury STW was heard inside properties along Lower Way and the Derwent Road estate on Sunday (January 26).

And what was the cause? Thames Water has now told Newburytoday one of its generators was responsible and confirmed the issue was fixed early on Monday morning (January 27).

But, it added, that the generator was only needed to power a unit that takes out all the unwanted items down our toilets that we shouldn’t be flushing away.

A spokesperson said: “This was caused by a generator used to power our screening units, which remove wet wipes and other unwanted items before the wastewater moves on to be treated. We are sorry to those who were impacted.”

It also reminded customers to only flush “pee, poo and toilet paper” and to dispose of fat and grease in waste bins to “ensure its systems run smoothly”.

But West Berkshire Council leader Jeff Brooks (Lib Dem, Thatcham West) has called on the water company to do more.

Posting on social media yesterday (Monday), he said: “We have, today, had assurances from Thames Water that the noise that has been coming from the sewage works and that went on all last night, will not happen again.

“I have also asked they provide an apology by letter to local residents and in that letter give us a 24/7 phone number so that we can contact them in the future if something like this happens again. We will see if they are prepared to do that.”

Were you kept awake by the noise? Is this the first time you have heard it? Let us know at newsdesk@newburynews.co.uk