I suggest that if your journalist Jemma Cullum is going to write about sewage matters, she get up to speed on sewage discharges which are politically sensitive at the moment. For some bizarre reason, I take interest in these matters (Chronicle, January 5).

This article on the internet caught my eye.

There are basically two types of sewage discharge. The first is when a sewage works breaks down and raw sewage is discharged into a waterway or the sea. This pretty grim, de-oxygenates the water and kills fishes. It is normally repaired in a few hours and the waterway quickly returns to normal.

The second is when a Combined Sewage Outfall discharges in very heavy rainfall. This is 98% rainwater. There is no research into the effects of these but they could be like putting fertiliser on fields since all aquatic animals secrete their own sewage. Plankton thrives on sewage.

This manhole looked like the latter because it only overflows in the rain. It was not an environmental disaster as stated and might even have promoted the growth of fish.

Since covid, people have become obsessed with sewage.

Your grumpy and paranoid readers would be astounded to find out that those who work in the sewage industry are the healthiest of most workers. This is because constant exposure to bugs give a person an excellent immune system.

 

Jonny Bucknell,

Chamberlain Street,

London