RESTAURANT owners who pollute the River Crouch in Wickford by illegally disposing of cooking oil should be prosecuted, a councillor has urged.

Anglian Water says sewage is overflowing into the river, close to the town centre, because restaurants and fas- food outlets are tripping oil into drains and blocking sewer pipes.

The water company has already written to businesses in the town, urging them to make sure staff todispose of fat, oiland grease responsible.

The Environment Agency and Basildon Council environmental health officials have also been informed.

However, councillors and residents think more needs to be done to protect the river, which runs through a concrete channel under Golden Jubilee Way, Lower Southend Road, and London Road.

Peter Holliman, councillor for Wickford North, said: “I find it amazing this isn’t being taken any further.

“To me, it is a clear breach of the terms and conditions of a food establishment and I would have thought businesses could be taken to court or fined for this.

“We need to send out a clear message this is just not acceptable.”

Eunice Brockman, who chairs the Wickford Action Group, agrees. She has urged Anglian Water to “name and shame” the restaurants and takeaways thought to be responsible, something the water company has refused to do.

Ms Brockman said: “This is a real health issue and it’s not the kind of behaviour we expect from local businesses.”

Local sewer pipes have now been cleared out and the pollution had stopped for the time being. Anglian Water representatives visited Wickford at the end of last week and found clear evidence cooking oil was being poured down drains behind businesses.

When the oil cools, solidifies into something resembling lard, blocking sewers and forcing sewage out into the river.

An Anglian Water spokesman said: “This is a big problem throughout the UK and it’s about raising awareness.”

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “If it’s been reported to us, we will investigate the cause of the pollution, but we cannot comment further at this stage about what action we will take.”

Message to businesses: We’re watching you

ANGLIAN Water says it will be keeping a careful eye on Wickford’s takeaways and restaurants to make sure they don’t tip more oil into the drains.

Householders are also being urged to play their part, by scraping fat frompans and plates into their bins.

A spokesman said: “When there’s a fat blockage like this, it’s our standard process to send a letter to every business and resident nearby.

“They offer advice and tips to raise awareness of the problems fats and unflushables, such as wipes, cause underground, and to encourage everyone to dispose of them responsibly. Telling people what we’ve found is part of raising awareness. If the fat is found to be coming from a commercial property, we will check in six months to make sure the problem isn’t repeated.

“We’d like to ask everyone to do their bit to keep pipes clear and avoid nasty blockages which are not only damaging to the environment, but can also be costly to homeowners if they block their own private sewer pipes.

“They should allow fats to cool and scrape them into the bin.

Wipes should also go in the bin.”