More sewage floods Thames

More raw sewage has been pumped into the Thames after a night of torrential rain in London.

Half a million tonnes of untreated sewage was sent into the river - almost as much as after the storms of 3 August - raising fears of further damage to the environment.

Last night's heavy rainfall caused drains to back up again, forcing Thames Water to redirect sewage into the river in a bid to stop it flooding streets.

The Environment Agency claims more than five million tonnes of sewage has been rerouted into the river in the past 16 days, killing hundreds of thousands of fish.

Today the waste entered the river Lea south of Stratford via the Abbey Mills pumping station before flowing into the Thames. Experts say the stretch from Kew to Woolwich has been worst hit.

A "bubbling" vessel was launched today to pump oxygen into the water to allow the fish to breathe.

Richard Oatley, environment officer at the Environment Agency, said: "We have one bubbling vessel out but will deploy a second if we need to.

"However, Londoners can expect the problem of sewage in the Thames to be an ongoing health, amenity and environmental problem."

He said the number of fish deaths are likely to be lower than two weeks ago as the sewage was pumped into a wider section. Experts warn that because the Thames is tidal it could take three months for sewage to reach the sea.