
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.”