• Contact us
  • Advertise with us
  • Cumbria Crack app
  • About us
Saturday, July 19, 2025
cumbriacrack.com
  • News
  • Sport
    • All sport
    • Carlisle United
  • Business
  • What’s on
  • Jobs
  • Food & drink
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Sport
    • All sport
    • Carlisle United
  • Business
  • What’s on
  • Jobs
  • Food & drink
No Result
View All Result
cumbriacrack.com
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Lake District campaigners launch nuisance complaint over sewage spills

by Cumbria Crack
27/06/2024
in News
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Picture: Matt Staniek

A Lake District campaign group has launched an ambitious challenge in a bid to stop sewage being pumped into the area’s waters.

Save Windermere has written to Westmorland and Furness, lodging a nuisance complaint against United Utilities regarding sewage discharge in Ambleside.

The campaign group, which is working with an environmental barrister, claims it has evidence that 113 incidences of sewage discharging into and around the River Rothay in Ambleside over 13 months.

United Utilities disputes this figure.

Save Windermere added that Professor Peter Hammond, of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, had analysed United Utilities’ data and identified at least 234 days with illegal early spills of untreated sewage by United Utilities into Windermere and the surrounding catchment between 2018 and 2022 – including 75 days on which illegal spilling occurred at Ambleside Wastewater Treatment Works.

However, United Utilities said: “This is not correct. We have not been given sight of the data or calculations that were used, and we can only conclude that the figures have been derived from the application of a flawed methodology to incomplete datasets.”

Save Windermere said that if Westmorland and Furness Council hold up its complaint, it can serve an abatement notice to stop sewage discharges from Ambleside Wastewater Treatment Works.

It added it was an unprecedented approach and could have national ramifications if it was upheld.

The group is concerned that the future of Windermere is under threat from sewage discharges, but United Utilities said: “Over the last two decades, we have invested £75 million upgrading wastewater treatment sites, pumping stations and sewers around Windermere, with £45 million of that work completed in 2020.

“Total phosphorus in Windermere has reduced by 30% as a direct result of that investment.

“We have already started work on a further £41 million of investment into the Windermere catchment between now and 2030 to reduce storm overflow operation at Elterwater, Hawkshead, Ambleside and Near Sawrey.

“This will reduce spills by 50% on 2022 figures and is expected to reduce total phosphorus by a further 4% and 8% in the two basins of Windermere.

“And we are continuing to work with all organisations that impact water quality in the lake including farmers, septic tank owners, hotels, campsites, highways authorities and landowners to deliver the step change that we all want to see.”

Save Windermere said it was recently revealed that United Utilities illegally discharged 10 million litres of untreated sewage into the lake on a single night in February 2024, as a result of a recurring telecoms issue at Glebe Road pumping station.

But United Utilities said the figure of 10 million had been incorrectly estimated. It added: “Volume is not measured in the way it was suggested, and the pumps operated intermittently, therefore the figure is significantly inflated.”

It added that an unexpected fault occurred on a third party telecoms cable network in the area. It added: “United Utilities was not notified about it and it affected both the primary system and United Utilities’ own back-up.

“As soon as we discovered this fault was affecting the Glebe Road pumping station, our engineers took urgent steps to resolve the situation and we informed the Environment Agency within an hour of the pollution being confirmed.”

Save Windermere said: “These infractions highlight a lack of capacity. Save Windermere contends that this is due to chronic underinvestment by the water company.

“To date, regulatory efforts have faltered in effectively managing excessive nutrients entering Windermere, resulting in potentially toxic algae becoming a regular occurrence year-round.

“Save Windermere calls for a complete end to sewage discharging into Windermere, following the proactive approaches taken in countries all over the world.”

A Westmorland and Furness spokesman said: “We have received an allegation of statutory nuisance regarding discharges into Windermere and are considering our response.”

Previous Post

Public transport: Barrow & Furness candidates answer your question

Next Post

Louis Backhouse makes good impression in Lancashire debut

Have you read?

Armstrong Watson team take on gruelling Lake District challenge
News

Armstrong Watson team take on gruelling Lake District challenge

18/07/2025
Electrical fire caused by lightning strike in Millom
Latest

Updated thunderstorm warning for Cumbria issued

18/07/2025
How has Cumbria police helped your neighbourhood?
Latest

Two-year-old boy’s death unexplained but not suspicious

18/07/2025
Lake District illegal campers continue to ‘hack down trees’ for fires
Latest

Lake District illegal campers continue to ‘hack down trees’ for fires

18/07/2025
Little Herdy’s big Antarctic adventure
News

Little Herdy’s big Antarctic adventure

18/07/2025
West Side Story set to be brought to life on Cumbrian stage
News

West Side Story set to be brought to life on Cumbrian stage

18/07/2025

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive daily updates direct to your inbox!

*We hate spam as much as you do. Privacy Statement

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

33 Middlegate
Penrith
Cumbria
CA11 7SY

Phone: 01768 862313
Email: admin@cumbriacrack.com

Registered in England as Barrnon Media Limited. No: 12475190
VAT registration number: 343486488

Explore

  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Carlisle United
  • Business
  • What’s on
  • Jobs

Useful links

  • Contact us
  • Send a sport report
  • Get our app
  • Advertise with us
  • About us

Follow us on

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive daily updates direct to your inbox!

*We hate spam as much as you do. Privacy Statement

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

© Barrnon Media Limited 2023

Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy
This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Sport
    • All sport
    • Carlisle United
  • Business
  • What’s on
  • Jobs
  • Food & drink

© 2025 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.