A charity worker has labelled an Enfield stream a “health hazard” after discovering high levels of faecal bacteria in the water.

The Houndsden Stream in Winchmore Hill, Enfield, was found to have approximately 30 times the accepted EU level of the microbes.

Several other streams and rivers in the borough are also affected by the pollution.

Aimee Felus, who works for waterways charity Thames21, detected signs of uncommonly high levels of faecal bacteria, which she blames on misconnected domestic sewage pipes.

She said: “This is caused by a toilet plumbing misconnection from someone’s home.  Effectively this home is flushing their toilet straight into their local river.

“This results in a dead stream which has no wildlife, smells and looks unpleasant, and is even a  human health hazard.”

The charity is helping to raise awareness of this issue and plant reed beds that will lower harmful chemical levels in the water.

To find out how to check if your home is misconnected visit www.connectright.org.uk  To discover more about Thames21’s water quality testing programme visit www.thames21.org.uk/love-the-lea