Blackpool Council's leader has sharply criticised the 'appalling' sewage problem affecting the Lancashire coastline, with a leading environmentalist calling for government intervention and potential fines if water companies fail to meet targets.
An ongoing 'no swim' advisory is in effect across eight Lancashire beaches since a sewage leak on Monday, June 13, after extreme storms dumped around 40mm of rain in two hours, overwhelming the Fleetwood wastewater treatment works.
The incident occurred as urgent repair work on a burst pipe at the wastewater treatment facility was underway, with this pipe typically carrying treated and cleaned water to the sea. This situation resulted in untreated sewage mixed with rainwater being released into the sea by United Utilities, leading to the no swim warning across Bispham, Blackpool Central, Blackpool North, Blackpool South, Cleveleys, Fleetwood, St Annes, and St Annes North beaches, Lancs Live reports.
Over a week later, the warning is still active. Lynn Williams, the leader of Blackpool Council, has described the situation as "appalling".
During her appearance on BBC Radio 4, Councillor Williams called the issue "incredibly disappointing and really worrying", in response to presenter Nick Robinson's comment that the incident "could not be much more serious for Blackpool". Coun Williams added, "We're just at the start of our summer season with some glorious weather and we're faced with having to put out advisory notices telling people not to go into the sea because of the discharges of sewage. It's appalling."
After the interview, a spokesperson for United Utilities stated that work is ongoing to restore a fractured pipe to full capacity. They clarified that the fractured pipe did not directly release any sewage or treated wastewater into the sea.
Also appearing on Radio 4 with Coun Williams was environmentalist Feargal Sharkey. Known as the lead vocalist of punk band The Undertones, Sharkey accused United Utilities of being "by far and away the country's largest dumper of sewage". "The coast from Cumbria to Cornwall, around Kent to Berwick-upon-Tweed, is flagged with sewage being dumped onto our beaches," he said.
The Surfers Against Sewers charity and its live water quality map also garnered attention. The map identifies a total of 10 Lancashire beaches at risk of pollution due to 'sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours', with Morecambe North and Morecambe South added to the already flagged eight beaches.
The BBC reported that the broken pipe is expected to be repaired by the middle of next week. However, Coun Williams expressed concern about the actions already taken, saying "we don't know how much sewage has been discharged". She continued, "United Utilities are not obliged to say; only to say how many times and for how long. It's a torrid state of affairs for a company that last year paid out £300m to its shareholders."
Sharkey highlighted "regulatory failures" across the North West and the country with regard to waste management. He also stated that United Utilities has a "systemic problem" and "no problem with money", referencing the shareholder payout.
Coun Williams said, "People are fed up with this but this has to be down to the government and Environment Agency. They have to hold water companies and United Utilities to account. There needs to be legally bounded targets."
Sharkey suggested that the government should issue an enforcement order against United Utilities that, if unmet, could result in a fine of up to 10% of its annual turnover. He added, "I think that might help focus a few boardroom minds."
Despite the current situation, Coun Williams encouraged people to visit Blackpool, stating: "The advisory notice is not to go into the sea but the beaches are not impacted. Please do come, just don't have a paddle right now."
A United Utilities spokesperson said, “We are making strong progress in constructing a bypass pipeline which will enable, when completed, the treatment plant at Fleetwood to get back to normal. Our teams are working around the clock to complete the work which involves laying more than 2km of steel pipework, manoeuvred into place with cranes and a helicopter. We are now in the final stages of that work. The bathing water advice remains in place for now and the decision about whether that can be lifted will be made by the Environment Agency in due course and based on evidence and on protecting public health and the environment.”
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