Sevenoaks Town Council is supporting a Darent River Preservation Society (DRiPS) project to explore solutions to improve the base flow of the River Darent. At Sevenoaks Town Council’s Finance & Delivery Committee meeting on 20th April, Councillors approved funding of £500 towards the initiative.
Cllr Nigel Wightman, Chair of the Finance & Delivery Committee, said, “We are delighted to support this very important local charity. The Darent River Preservation Society (DRiPS) is doing vital work with a range of partners, including water companies, to preserve the ecology of this nationally important river.”
DRiPS says that the main threat for the river over last 50 years has been over abstraction for public consumption by water companies. As one of the most over abstracted chalk streams in the UK, the River Darent’s flow no longer meets the environmentally acceptable flow level for a healthy river.
DRiPS reported that Thames Water has two proposals to improve flow. One depends on a new reservoir being built in Abingdon, scheduled for 2050. The other is to build a sewage treatment works in Sevenoaks and inject treated sewage into the river. DRiPS said this would damage the health of the river and is wholly rejected by expert opinion.
Therefore, DRiPS has engaged a notable consultant to work with various water companies and run modelling software to explore alternative solutions which would be less costly and more beneficial to the river. Sevenoaks Town Council’s funding will contribute towards the consultant’s fees.
The consultant’s report should be delivered in May 2026 will be shared with the Environment Agency, Water Services Regulation Authority (OFWAT), Thames Water, South East Water and Southern Water.
