16/04/2026
On Tuesday afternoon, two Pangbourne flood wardens removed a large amount of mostly construction waste from a 350m stretch of the Sulham Brook, between Home Farm and the A329.
The waste comprised mainly of plasterboard, wood panelling, plastic rubbish bags, and asbestos roofing panels.
Unfortunately some of the plasterboard could not be retrieved because it disintegrated when handled, and the asbestos roofing was too heavy to remove (and is potentially hazardous to health).
The waste that was successfully removed was stacked by the side of the road, reported to the council, and has since been collected.
The asbestos has been reported to the Environment Agency who are responsible for maintaining main river courses.
The flood wardens took action on this occasion because historically the Environment Agency have been very slow, or entirely absent, to act upon reports of fly tipping into the Sulham Brook.
The photos and show the appalling amount of waste that someone or some people thought appropriate to dispose of into our river.
For reference, pollution or blockages in a river should be reported to the Environment Agency here:
https://www.gov.uk/report-environmental-problem
Fly-tipped waste on other public land (not a river) should be reported to West Berkshire Council here:
https://www.westberks.gov.uk/report-litter-and-fly-tipping
