Thames Water will face a court trial over a large leak at Little Marlow Sewage Treatment Works which caused sewage to flow in to the river.

The water company apologised in 2013 after sewage spewed in to the river near the village and towards Bourne End, leaving dirty tissue in the stream and a brown murky mess.

Representatives of Thames Water appeared before magistrates in High Wycombe last week and have now been sent to Aylesbury Crown Court for a trial set to start on September 27.

They face five counts of failing to comply with an environmental permit condition at the Little Marlow site and one count of knowingly causing controlled waste to be “deposited” on nearby land.

All of the counts relate to incidents at the treatment works between November 1, 2012, and September 16, 2013.

Thames Water also faces another charge of discharging untreated and/ or partially treated sewage at the River Thames and the Spade Oak Brook.