Activists attempt citizen's arrests of Thames Water executives

Environmental activists attempted to make citizen's arrests of two Thames Water executives, Chris Weston and Alastair Cochran. They accuse the leaders of causing a public nuisance related to the illegal discharge of sewage and mismanagement of funds. They claim to have prepared a draft indictment to support their allegations. The activists took action after a report revealed Thames Water increased raw sewage discharge into rivers by 50%. This protest coincided with the company receiving a £3 billion emergency debt bailout to avoid financial failure. Many households in the UK are facing water bill increases, with Thames Water seeking a hike of 59%. Rachel Whyte, a spokesperson for the activists, criticized the high salaries of the executives, with Weston earning up to £2.3 million annually. She expressed frustration that fines for these actions do not change the company's behavior, leading to rising bills for consumers. On Tuesday, a group of women activists entered Thames Water's offices in Reading. They called for Weston and Cochran to come down and present their evidence. Weston did come down after police arrived, but the police did not make any arrests. The officers took the activists' evidence for further review. Thames Water stated that no arrest was made and that neither executive met with the activists. The police asked the group to leave the property.