With the sun shining, the temptation is to head to our rivers, lakes and beaches. But this is not always a safe decision around here.

Take the River Wey. It runs through Bordon, Haslemere, Farnham and many places in between. The was an outcry when hundreds of fish were killed mysteriously here earlier in the year. Though this particular incident remains unsolved, the source of most of the River Wey’s pollution is a matter of public record.

During 2024, Thames Water was ‘permitted’ to discharge sewage into the river on 139 occasions in 2024. It flowed for more than 1,400 hours. In Farnham alone there was a discharge of over 10 hours every week on average.

Even the country’s areas of outstanding beauty aren’t exempt; more than 60 percent have been hit.

Given all this, I find it astonishing that only three people in the water sector have ever been prosecuted for any environmental related crimes since privatisation. But they weren’t even given any penalty under the Conservatives. Not even a fine.

So, I was delighted to see the Labour government introduce new powers to toughen up the law. These could see water executives who cover up illegal sewage spills imprisoned for up to two years – the toughest ever measures in history.

The new legislation will also provide powers to ban the payment of unfair bonuses for polluting water bosses.

This is vital because not only did the Conservatives fail to deliver investment in our broken water infrastructure, they also let our money be spent irresponsibly on bonuses and shareholder payouts amounting to over £41 million since 2020 alone.

While the Conservatives are primarily responsible, they were aided and abetted by the Liberal Democrats. Funding for the Environment Agency was cut by half between 2010 and 2019. During half of this time the Lib Dems were sat at the cabinet table signing the cuts off.

Disappointingly this shameful record continues. The Liberal Democrats voted against the legislation to ban the payment of unfair bonuses and making polluting water bosses criminally liable for their actions.

Labour, in contrast, has made clear its determination to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. About £104 billion of private sector funds will be invested in rebuilding and upgrading our water system, and an independent commission into the water sector has been launched – the largest review since privatisation. This could be a sea change for our rivers and coasts.

John Gaskell

Chair

Farnham and Bordon Labour Party

The 2025 Great Farnham Duck Race this year was a great success.

Unfortunately, in our article (Herald and Post, May 8) we omitted to mention that Bells Piece were one of our nominated charities this year, as well as Woodlarks.

Farnham Weyside Rotary Club, the organisers of the Great Farnham Duck Race, have worked closely with Bells Piece for many years and have always supported their good work.

This year, several of them came to the Duck Race with their stall and helped with the arrangements on the day, for which we were very grateful. They certainly deserved their nomination as one of our nominated charities.

Regrettably, Seeds for Development were not a nominated charity this year. We have also supported their work for many years, and they have been closely involved with the Duck Race too. We apologise for any confusion about this.

Michael Buttler

Weyside Rotary Club

On behalf of the late Kenneth Thorndale, we would like to publicly acknowledge the wonderful care he received at East Hill House, East Hill Drive in Liss.

Despite his sometimes displaying challenging behaviour due to various medical conditions, every single member of staff within this wonderful facility showed respect, care and compassion for him.

The term ‘care home’ has never been more appropriately used as he could not have been more cared for and East Hill House truly became his home.

We live in a time when financial restraints within corporate care can often put extreme pressure on those managing and working within care facilities.

This can sometimes result in decisions and policies to the detriment of the quality of life for residents and that is frequently featured within the news and media.

Therefore to redress the balance we felt we should highlight such a positive and outstanding example of quality of care. It should be a source of pride within your community that such an excellent establishment exists in your part of Hampshire.

Sue Napper (sister-in-law) and Jane Couch (daughter)

Addresses provided

The Wildlife Trust and other Trusts such as the Woodland Trust are campaigning to keep our open spaces and countryside.

Without these, our country will die as there will only be concrete and nowhere for anyone but humans to live.

We need to protect our countryside and open spaces as they cannot be recovered at a later stage in our lifetimes. Stop this ridiculous green belt building now.

Coral Brodie

Hindhead

Many of your readers may be looking forward to holidays, whether in this country or abroad.

Some with diabetes may be anxious, especially if it is the first time going on holiday since they were diagnosed with diabetes.

For people with diabetes, going on holiday is not quite so straightforward and requires more planning, especially for those treated with insulin.

Security at airports and on flights means that carrying injection devices, blood glucose testing kit and insulin on planes requires prior arrangements.

As a charity for people with diabetes and their families, we provide a holiday information pack with information about carrying tablets and insulin to other countries.

The pack also includes our booklets Diabetes Everyday Eating and Looking After Your Feet, always important but especially so in hot weather or being on a beach.

We are happy send this free holiday pack to your readers if they contact the Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust on 01604 622837, email [email protected].

Jenny Hirst

Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust