IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Sandford-on-Thames, OXFORD, OX4 4XU

Just a random shot of part of Thames Water's Oxford sewage works. My colleague is inspecting a rain gauge. There are hundreds of manually read rain gauges all over the country which are looked at every day by on-site observers. The results are sent to the Environment Agency and Met. Office and contribute to the ever growing national rainfall data base. Each gauge is inspected by the Met. Office every 3 years to make sure that it is in an acceptable condition for accurate recording. (i.e. not leaning sideways, bent by grass cutters, overhung by branches, bits stolen etc.)

The works include dewatering systems to change sludge into dry cakes to use as agricultural fertiliser.

I see there's already a picture contributed of this obscure corner of Oxford Sewage Works Image but this particular image isn't so much about the equipment, rather the unusual sight of a neatly maintained small orchard of fruit trees within the operational area.

Sometimes Shakespeare's Way goes through less salubrious places. Here we are approaching the rear entrance of a sewage works, where the footpath turns right (despite the bollard) for a circumnavigation of the perimeter fence. Lovely.

Shakespeare's Way sometimes visits less salubrious places. The map here was not promising, but perhaps surprisingly the footpath past the southern side of the sewage works was not too bad. There was no smell and behind us are open fields.

Shakespeare's Way sometimes visits less salubrious places. The map here was not promising, but perhaps surprisingly the footpath past the southern side of the sewage works was not too bad. There was no smell and behind us are open fields.

Road near Oxford.

Sometimes Shakespeare's Way visits less salubrious places. Here the footpath has the sewage works on the right and a mobile home park on the left. The latter is fine, but this area of open land between the two has become a fly tipping area. Not pleasant.