United Utilities faces enforcement action over a sewage spill in a South Lakes village.
Villagers in Cartmel have suffered for years as sewage has spilled into the River Eea and in February, Cumbrian MP Tim Farron told Parliament that in the previous 12 months, it had 252 days of sewage outflows, which he branded unacceptable.
The impact of the spills are increased when there are events at Cartmel Racecourse.
The Westmorland and Lonsdale MP contacted the Environment Agency after a constituent raised concerns about an incident on February 14.
The agency said it had assessed the pumping station and found it was spilling in dry weather – which it said was a breach of its permit.
In a letter to Mr Farron, Jim Ratcliffe, the agency’s manager for Cumbria and Lancashire, said: “We also found the impact the pumping station was having on the environment during that spill event had the potential to be significant and we are considering what enforcement action is appropriate.
“United Utilities are investigating the issue further as this spill was not typical of others at this location.”
It added that the agency was prioritising the resolution of non-compliant spills at the pumping station and staff were having regular meetings with the water firm to review progress and set actions.
Mr Farron said: “The vast amount of sewage dumped into the River Eea – in one of the most beautiful parts of the country – is a disgusting scandal.
“We desperately need the Government to take their fingers out of their ears and do two things.
“First, they must introduce far tougher penalties against the water companies such as United Utilities who are committing these appalling discharges.
“And secondly, they must tax the unearned profits of water companies and invest that money back into improving Britain’s outdated water infrastructure.”
