A public meeting will be held in Chesham after sewage was pumped into the River Chess for almost 11 hours following heavy rain last month.

The River Chess Association (RCA) will host the meeting at Chesham Town Hall on November 3 where the public will hear how Thames Water plans to prevent “further sewage pollution” of the river.

RCA secretary Kathryn Graves said the meeting was originally intended to be an update on Thames Water’s work to reduce pollution following the four months in 2014 when sewage was “continuously pumped” into the river from Chesham Sewage Treatment Works.

The group said it had put a text message notification system in place a few years ago where Thames Water could notify them when a sewage discharge was due to take place.

According to Ms Graves, the system failed last month which meant the group was not able to warn the public via social media like it normally would.

She said: “We are deeply concerned that these incidents continue to occur.

“We want to hear from Thames Water how they intend to meet increased pressure that will be placed on the Chesham Sewage Treatment Works in light of future building in Chesham.

“We also want to know how the company intends to improve the quality of the effluent that enters the river.

“Clearly there is plenty to be addressed at this meeting. We would encourage anyone with an interest in the river to attend.”