East Lancashire residents are fighting to stop raw sewage being discharged into local rivers and brooks. Hyndburn Council will discuss a motion titled during Thursday's full council meeting which pinpoints where sewage is being dumped and calls for greater government action.
Councillors Scott Brerton and Kate Walsh, both from the council's Labour gropu, tabled the motion, expressing concern about the impact of sewage dumping on the local waterways. Their motion cites information provided by the Rivers Trust charity, which reveals in 2022 that there were more than 200 raw sewage in the area.
The report says that sewage was dumped in:
Hyndburn Brook at Clayton le Moors 80 times for a total of 759 hours;
Tinker Brook at Oswaldtwistle 46 times for a total of 530 hours;
River Calder at Great Harwood 23 times for a total of 213 hours; and
White Ash Brook at Oswaldtwistle 60 times for a total of 150 hours.
The motion also criticizes water companies for prioritizing shareholder dividends over addressing the sewage issue. It states that over £65.9 billion in dividends has been paid out to shareholders while the rivers remain polluted and the water infrastructure deteriorates.
The proposed motion requests that Hyndburn Council's Conservative leader, Cllr Marlene Haworth, write to the environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, urging her to strengthen legislation regarding sewage dumping in waterways. The motion also seeks updates from United Utilities on their efforts to address the problem and eliminate sewage dumping in the borough's waterways. Additionally, the Environment Agency is requested to provide monitoring updates on sewage dumping in Hyndburn's waterways.
In response, a spokesperson for United Utilities said: “We are committed to delivering a step change in performance to reduce the operation of storm overflows, which is a particular challenge in the North West. We have already reduced spill frequency by 40% since 2020 but we know there is more to do and we are planning a £3 billion programme of work. In Hyndburn, we are starting a project at the Wastewater Treatment Works which will reduce the use of the storm overflow – part of a wider £76 million investment to improve water quality in the River Calder."
This issue of sewage dumping is not confined to Lancashire alone. Reports have revealed instances of water companies releasing untreated sewage into rivers and seas, especially during heavy rainfall when the sewage system becomes overwhelmed.
Critics argue that water companies should invest more in infrastructure and technology to prevent sewage overflows and improve treatment processes. and regulatory bodies such as the Environment Agency and Ofwat have pushed for stricter guidelines.
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