Brian the otter? Sorry, Thames Water, he can’t compare to the meerkat

As sewage-row firm films ad to soften its image...

AFTER coming under fire for pumping raw sewage into rivers, Thames Water is trying to win customers over with an ad campaign starring an otter called Brian.

Last week, the firm filmed the ad – entitled Pipe Dream – telling the story of the animal, his house by the river and his life in the water. Bosses are understood to be hoping that the puppet will acquire the same fame as the meerkats in the Compare The Market comparison website adverts. The Thames Water advert features actors who play its staff and portray the firm positively.

It appears to be a big-budget production, helmed by award-winning director of photography Stephen Keith-Roach, who has worked on music videos for the likes of Tina Turner, the Spice Girls, Robbie Williams and Take That.

The film was directed by the partnership Dom&Nic, whose video for The Chemical Brothers’ hit Believe was a winner at the MTV Europe Music Awards.

However, shooting in Ham, SouthWest London, was interrupted by members of the local Bluetits swimming club who were protesting against Thames Water for letting the river become dirty.

The company, which serves 15million customers, was named and shamed as one of the worst among Britain’s 12 major suppliers, with two stars out of four in its Environment Agency performance rating.

It was fined £4million last year after it released a ‘waterfall’ of 500,000 litres of raw sewage that killed 3,000 fish in Oxford.

Analysis of Thames Water’s sewage map last night revealed the shocking extent of its pollution. In one area of Berkshire, it has been pumping raw sewage into a waterway for more than a month.

Campaigner Feargal Sharkey said: ‘Their reputation is in shreds and bloody tatters. They are desperately worried about trying to find some way out of it and soften their image.’

The former Undertones singer added: ‘The level of management I have met within the industry has been so uninspiring. I would expect the same level of performance from any comms or marketing campaign they produce. The question is, what is an otter’s rate of survival when swimming through sewage?

‘There is even the level of creativity itself. They come up with Brian the otter. Adults sit in rooms and make decisions about this stuff – that is the weird part. Water companies have gamed the system and the rest of us are facing a catastrophic bill to fix the sewage system.’

Thames Water said: ‘We have an advertising campaign in development which aims to respond to questions we are asked by customers and to address their concerns.’

‘Their reputation is in shreds and bloody tatters’