Thame WI Leads Protest to Save the River Thame

Thame, Oxfordshire – Thursday 18 September 2025 — Members of the Thame Women’s Institute (WI), joined by local MP Freddie van Mierlo, Thame Town Councillors, and concerned residents, gathered today on the Old Long Crendon Road bridge to protest the continued decline of the River Thame.

The demonstration formed part of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes’ (NFWI) Clean Rivers for People and Wildlife campaign, adopted nationally in 2023. The campaign calls for urgent action to end the routine discharge of untreated sewage into UK rivers.

The River Thame, a 40-mile tributary of the River Thames, has been particularly affected. Untreated sewage is released at multiple points along its course, from Hulcott in Buckinghamshire through Aylesbury, Cuddington, and Thame, before it reaches Dorchester-on-Thames, where it joins the River Thames.

“Enough is enough — it’s time to stop the sewage and restore our river to health,” said Hazel Coey, spokesperson for Thame WI.

“We want to see the return of wildlife that once thrived here — water voles, kingfishers, moorhens, fish, ducks, swans, dragonflies — and we want future generations to enjoy the River Thame as a place to play, swim, canoe, fish, and explore. The River Thame must not share the same fate as the River Thames itself.”

The WI and its supporters are calling on Thames Water and government regulators to take decisive action to protect rivers and wildlife, ensuring clean, safe waterways for communities.