Thames Water boss fishing in South America paradise as firm dumps human sewage into UK waters

Chris Weston, the brag of Thames Water connected a £2.3million salary, was seen enjoying a sportfishing vacation successful Argentina portion his institution battles to find backing to debar bankruptcy

The fatcat brag of a shamed h2o steadfast that has pumped 72 cardinal litres of human sewage into the Thames since 2020 flew to Argentina to food successful a pristine river.

Chris Weston, who has a wage bundle of up to £2.3million, visited a posh angling retreat connected the Rio Gallegos, wherever stays commencement astatine £9,000.

Regulator Ofwat fined his steadfast Thames Water, Britain’s biggest h2o company, £104million successful August for failing to negociate its wastewater attraction works and sewer networks. Since 2020, it has pumped sewage equivalent successful measurement to the contents of 29,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools into London’s River Thames.

The Environment Agency fined it astir £36m betwixt 2017 and 2023 for contamination incidents. And a twelvemonth ago, it was ordered by Ofwat to repay £74m to 16 cardinal customers for failing to conscionable show targets.

Last week, Mr Weston revealed the steadfast is scrambling to unafraid an exigency £3billion indebtedness successful a bid to debar bankruptcy. This could nonstop inferior bills soaring by 60%, adding £200 a twelvemonth per household, experts warn.

But Mr Weston near his woes down connected a getaway astatine the Las Buitreras retreat successful Argentina’s Santa Cruz province, which offers luxury lodge accommodation, posh grub and regular fishing. He was snapped showing disconnected a prized brownish trout catch, tucking into steak and downing good reddish wine.

His photos featured connected vacation steadfast Solid Adventures’ website, which boasts: “Estancia Las Buitreras is the astir dynamic alert sportfishing destination connected the satellite for sea-run brownish trout. The cosy lodge offers a cleanable blend of luxury and rustic surviving and is conscionable a 10-minute locomotion from the river’s edge.”

Former Army serviceman Mr Weston, 60, who lives successful a £4m Grade II-listed location successful Kent with a heated swimming excavation and tennis courts, became main enforcement of Thames Water successful January aft 7 years astatine vigor elephantine British Gas.

Last night, user champion Martyn James said: “It’s with immoderate grade of irony that the CEO of Thames Water has to alert astir the world to basal a accidental of catching a steadfast food oregon two, fixed the ones successful our polluted waterways and lakes are hardly hanging on.

“The UK utilized to beryllium a paradise connected world for anglers, watersports enthusiasts, swimmers and holidaymakers. But acknowledgment to chronic under-investment and reckless biology disregard from the h2o companies, we tin lone find this successful distant
countries.”

Mr Weston has said the £3bn indebtedness would alteration Thames “to proceed to instrumentality our turnaround program truthful that we tin present amended results for our customers and the environment”. Thames Water declined to comment.