Thames Water boss fishing in South America paradise as firm dumps human sewage into UK waters

Chris Weston, the boss of Thames Water on a £2.3million salary, was seen enjoying a fishing holiday in Argentina while his company battles to find funding to avoid bankruptcy

The fatcat boss of a shamed water firm that has pumped 72 billion litres of human sewage into the Thames since 2020 flew to Argentina to fish in a pristine river.

Chris Weston, who has a salary package of up to £2.3million, visited a posh angling retreat on the Rio Gallegos, where stays start at £9,000.

Regulator Ofwat fined his firm Thames Water, Britain’s biggest water company, £104million in August for failing to manage its wastewater treatment works and sewer networks. Since 2020, it has pumped sewage equivalent in volume to the contents of 29,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools into London’s River Thames.

The Environment Agency fined it nearly £36m between 2017 and 2023 for pollution incidents. And a year ago, it was ordered by Ofwat to repay £74m to 16 million customers for failing to meet performance targets.

Last week, Mr Weston revealed the firm is scrambling to secure an emergency £3billion loan in a bid to avoid bankruptcy. This could send utility bills soaring by 60%, adding £200 a year per household, experts warn.

But Mr Weston left his woes behind on a getaway at the Las Buitreras retreat in Argentina’s Santa Cruz province, which offers luxury lodge accommodation, posh grub and daily fishing. He was snapped showing off a prized brown trout catch, tucking into steak and downing fine red wine.

His photos featured on holiday firm Solid Adventures’ website, which boasts: “Estancia Las Buitreras is the most dynamic fly fishing destination on the planet for sea-run brown trout. The cosy lodge offers a perfect blend of luxury and rustic living and is just a 10-minute walk from the river’s edge.”

Former Army officer Mr Weston, 60, who lives in a £4m Grade II-listed home in Kent with a heated swimming pool and tennis courts, became chief executive of Thames Water in January after seven years at energy giant British Gas.

Last night, consumer champion Martyn James said: “It’s with some degree of irony that the CEO of Thames Water has to fly around the world to stand a chance of catching a healthy fish or two, given the ones in our polluted waterways and lakes are barely hanging on.

“The UK used to be a paradise on earth for anglers, watersports enthusiasts, swimmers and holidaymakers. But thanks to chronic under-investment and reckless environmental disregard from the water companies, we can only find this in distant
countries.”

Mr Weston has said the £3bn loan would enable Thames “to continue to implement our turnaround plan so that we can deliver better results for our customers and the environment”. Thames Water declined to comment.