Crap TownsBritain's towns, rated by the people stuck in them

Crap Towns / Waltham Forest / Pollution incidents

How often does Waltham Forest get polluted?

27 serious pollution incidents have been recorded in Waltham Forest or within 1 km of it since 2016, the joint 16th most of the 948 English towns that have had one. 2 were major, the worst kind. The most recent came in June 2026 and put diesel in the water. Diesel turned up in 5 of them.

The incidents
WhenWhatWhereImpact
June 2026DieselIn the waterSignificant
February 2026Commercial waste and electrical equipmentOn the land and in the airSignificant
June 2025Suspended solidsIn the waterSignificant
May 2024Crude sewageOn the landSignificant
August 2023MicrobiologicalIn the waterSignificant
June 2023An unidentified pollutantIn the waterMajor
February 2023Contaminated waterIn the waterSignificant
August 2022Unidentified oilIn the waterSignificant
August 2022Urban run-offIn the waterSignificant
September 2020Building rubble, electrical equipment and household wasteOn the landSignificant
May 2019Firefighting run-offIn the water, on the land and in the airMajor
February 2019DieselIn the waterSignificant
July 2018Urban run-offIn the waterSignificant
July 2018An unidentified pollutantIn the waterSignificant
December 2017Unidentified oilIn the waterSignificant
October 2017DustIn the airSignificant
July 2017DieselIn the waterSignificant
June 2017Crude sewageIn the waterSignificant
May 2017DustIn the airSignificant
April 2017DustIn the airSignificant
February 2017DustIn the airSignificant
October 2016PesticidesIn the waterSignificant
September 2016Backwash effluentIn the waterSignificant
September 2016Waste oilIn the waterSignificant
August 2016Contaminated waterIn the waterSignificant
May 2016DieselIn the waterSignificant
April 2016DieselIn the waterSignificant
Nearby towns
TownDistanceSerious incidents since 2016
Enfield8.2 km39
Haringey6.6 km27
Waltham Forest–27
Newham8.2 km14
Redbridge6.2 km11
Hackney5.8 km10
Tower Hamlets8.8 km7
Buckhurst Hill5.3 km3
Loughton8.8 km3