TORFAEN MP Nick Thomas-Symonds has stepped back in time to visit WaterAid’s pop-up Victorian street outside Parliament, to mark 150 years of Britain’s modern sewers.

More than 100 parliamentarians met characters from Victorian times to discover what life was like during the Great Stink of 1858 as WaterAid called for the UK Government to lead the way in ending the global water and sanitation crisis.

Mr Thomas-Symonds also met some of the 115,056 supporters who signed the charity’s ‘Make It Happen’ petition, who came from across the country to discuss the importance of ensuring everyone everywhere has clean water to drink and somewhere safe to go to the toilet.

Mr Thomas-Symonds said: “It has been an eye-opening day, seeing what life was like in Victorian Britain when people lacked access to safe water and there was no decent sewerage system. Investment in water and sanitation had a huge impact on our health and development, and these are key to achieving a healthier and more prosperous world.

“I am proud that the UK Parliament has made the historic commitment to ending global poverty, investing 0.7 per cent of our national income in international development. As we develop the Sustainable Development Goals for addressing global development, it is clear that water and sanitation must play a central role.”

Britain’s first life-saving sewerage system was created following the ‘Great Stink’, when the stench of the polluted Thames was so unbearable, it sent MPs running from the House of Commons clutching handkerchiefs to their faces and spurring them into action to clean up the city.

Find out more at http://www.wateraid.org.