The True Story Behind Channel 4's 'Dirty Business', TV's Next 'Mr Bates Vs The Post Office'
On February 23, Channel 4 released its latest docudrama, Dirty Business, a harrowing three-part factual drama which details how various individuals, families and communities have been failed by British water companies and the ongoing sewage crisis in the country's waters. The series follows two main storylines inspired by true events: a decade-long investigation of unethical water companies carried out by two neighbours in the Cotswolds, which begun as they realised that their local river had turned brown and the fish were dying; the second timeline explores a story regarding a young girl who died after contracting E-coli at a contaminated beach in Devon. Miketta Lane, Director of creative agency 4Creative stated: 'We need people to look closer, talk about what’s happening in our rivers and seas, and explore the devastating real human stories brought to life in Dirty Business.'Rob Baker Ashton//Channel 4Following the likes of factual dramas such as Toxic Town and Adolescence, both of which have proved that monumental change can be achieved through hard-hitting series, it's hoped that Dirty Business will inspire a Mr Bates vs The Post Office level of influence, and hold indifferent water companies to account once and for all. Below, we detail all that there is to know about Dirty Business, including the plot, the true story behind the drama and how the water companies have responded to the series. What is Dirty Business about?As the series synopsis states, the premise is as follows: 'Dirty Business follows the story of two unlikely detectives, who notice that the fish in the river running through their idyllic Oxfordshire hamlet are dying. They contact their water company to find out why, and the company's strange and evasive reply sparks an investigation that remains ongoing to this day.'Is Dirty Business based on a true story?Yes, the docudrama chronicles the real life events of various whistleblowers and victims that were exposed to untreated sewage water in south west England. The first timeline, which begins in 2016 follows Peter Hammond (Jason Watkins) and Ashley Smith (David Thewlis), two newly-retired neighbours, who begin to suspect that their once crystal-clear local River Windrush, is contaminated after realising that is has turned brown and the fish are dying. Rob Baker Ashton//Channel 4Smith, a former police officer and Hammond, a retired Oxford maths professor, combined their respective skillsets over the next ten years to bring England's water companies, particularly Thames Water, and the environmental regulator, the Environment Agency (EA) to account. Through conducting their own tests of the river, and probing various water companies, they eventually discover the case and death of eight-year-old Heather Preen, which they believe occurred due to the fatal consequences of unregulated sewage pollution.The second timeline of Dirty Business follows Preen's distressing death. Set in 1999, it begins with Heather, her 10-year-old sister Suzanne, and their parents Julie and Mark on a trip to Dawlish Beach in Devon, where Heather is seen stepping into a putrid pool of water. Julie had initially chose the beach because she read that it had Blue Fag status, meaning that it was a clean. In the days that followed their visit, Heather began to experience severe diarrhea and heavy bleeding. Rob Baker Ashton//Channel 4Following this, Heather was checked into hospital and diagnosed with 0157, the most aggressive strain of E.coli. Within two weeks, Heather’s brain had lost ability to control vital organs, and they began to fail, which eventually lead to her family's decision to switch off her life support.What followed was an inquest into both South West Water, a company responsible for providing drinking water and wastewater services to roughly 1.7 million people across Devon, Cornwall, and parts of Dorset and Somerset, as well as into the Environmental Agency. As seen in the inquest scene in the drama, the EA had received several complaints regarding sewage found on the beach. The agency responded by carrying out 45 water samples around the beach and found that only two contained contaminated water – however, this test was conducted a month after the families visit. During the inquest, the family were also told by a Chief Scientist for South West Water that dog fouling, which can cause E. Coli, had caused Heather's death, however, Mr Preen stated that he did not see any dog faeces on the beach that day. Ultimately, the jury came to a conclusion that Heather’s death was caused by death by misadventure.Rob Baker Ashton//Channel 4How have the water companies responded to Dirty Business? As of February 23, when contacted by Radio Times, a spokesperson for Thames Water stated the following: 'we have not seen the Dirty Business series but Thames Water is a company that takes its responsibilities to customers and the environment extremely seriously.'While South West Water said the following, ahead of the show's release: 'We haven’t yet been given access to review the programme, so can’t comment on what will be aired in connection with Heather’s death in 1999. However, the tragic death of a child is devastating and our thoughts remain with the family affected. Bathing waters are subject to stringent testing, real-time monitoring and public reporting. The bathing water at Dawlish Warren was tested as part of the investigations at the time by Environmental Health and samples were clear of E coli. Dawlish Warren has had excellent bathing water quality classifications since 1996.'As for the Environmental Agency, a spokesperson recently told The Independent that the series had raised 'important issues about water quality, the actions of water companies and regulation of the sector over recent decades,' and that their 'sympathies are with the family of Heather Preen.'They further commented that they were on track to do '10,000 inspections of water company assets, rooting out wrongdoing and driving better performance.' Dirty Business is now available to stream on Channel 4. ELLE Collective is a community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. 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