While the attention this week has been on the troubles of Thames Water over fears of its collapse, sewage issues continue for the other regional private water companies around the country. This morning, Yorkshire held its own mass paddle board protest on the River Wharfe to highlight the problems the river is facing.
The Wetherby and Villages Clean River Group, with help from Mike Blanshard of Paddle 26 and SUP Yorkshire, took to the water to encourage more river users to do the same and enjoy the benefits of river use. Underwater cameraman Mark Barrow gave a short talk on the beach at Collingham, on the issues facing the river and what steps could be taken to alleviate the pressure on marine life, and turn the river back into a vibrant, healthy state.
Local community action makes a difference
Founding member of the Wetherby and Villages Clean River Group, Linda Richards, told Yorkshire Bylines that:
“The mass paddle from Wetherby to Collingham on Sunday morning is one way of showing the public interest in and use of the river. Most importantly, we want people to be aware of the many positive benefits of using the river for health and wellbeing. We also want to persuade Defra that bathing water status will be an important step in better monitoring and improvement in the quality of water in the River Wharfe.”
The group failed in its application for bathing water status last year, hoping to follow the example of the local work of the Ilkley Clean River Campaign, which gained its status only a few years ago. Their hope is to use data to prove to Defra that this stretch of the River Wharfe is used and enjoyed by a diverse group of river users – more events are planned for this year, to raise the visibility of river use and to help improve the quality of the water.
Bathing water status as a positive first step
Barrow, who featured in the Paul Whitehouse BBC documentary Our Troubled Rivers this year, told Yorkshire Bylines:
“We are trying to bring attention to the state of the river with the pollution that happens along the full length of it and how this, in turn, affects the aquatic species that call this place home, as sadly the river is a shadow of its former self.”
He continued:
“It has been allowed to develop through the profiteering of the water industry and through them turning a blind eye to the sewage entering the river, they assumed no one cares.”
He concluded by saying:
“I want people to understand that the aquatic species in rivers are just so important, as ultimately what happens within rivers affects our seas and oceans and if we lose rivers we will lose so much more. Sadly, you should not have to get bathing status to stop sewage but it seems this is the only way to move forward.”
Barrow recently released a shocking video online, which he filmed in Yorkshire waters, emphasising that when companies claim that discharges are ‘95% rainwater sewage discharges’, this is patently and visibly false to river users, who contrast these statements with the recent levels of regional rainfall.
There is an invidious and illogical issue that many campaign groups are now facing. A factor in a successful granting of bathing water status, is that of the high numbers of river users. However, when information is released, visibly demonstrating the levels of pollution in the river, this has the impact of deterring people who would use the river, meaning that proving high numbers of users can be challenging.
The state of Yorkshire’s rivers
Across Yorkshire last year, there were 54,273 monitored spill events, with a total duration of 232,054 hours of sewage entering the rivers and waterways. In February this year, Yorkshire rivers were described as “among worst for sewage discharge”, with the Aire, the Calder and the Ouse all featuring in the top ten of the worst rivers for raw sewage discharge in England and Wales.
It is not just the state of the rivers themselves that is troubling. The finances of the water companies have come under close scrutiny over their ability to pay down debt. Yorkshire Water themselves have raised approximately £500mn from shareholders to restore faith in their financial health.
A debt-laden industry
The campaign group ‘Led By Donkeys’ clearly set out the financial issues surrounding the national water industry in a recent information clip, from the privatisation of the water industry in 1989, to the pollution and wasted money that followed. They highlighted the approximately £57bn that has been paid out in shareholder dividends, while at the same time, the debts of water companies rose from zero in 1989 to £60bn today.
With Thames Water coming under increased pressure and scrutiny following the departure of its CEO Sarah Bentley this week, with its environmental record being cited as the main reason for the departure, customers are left wondering what the impact of this will be and whether a national domino effect of water companies will follow.
Already, reports are suggesting that water bills to customers might rise by up to 40%, to help pay for the continuing sewage crisis.
Legal showdown
The campaign group Surfers Against Sewage has led the way with ‘Paddle Out’ protests this year, with a national day of action in May 2023, focused in the 12 different locations of the private water companies. Hugo Tagholm, the former CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, along with the Good Law Project are at the High Court this coming week to demand that the UK government takes the urgent action that is needed to end sewage pollution, rather than wait until 2050 to end the sewage dumping.
Whether this national legal action will be enough, remains to be seen. What we do know is that waiting for community led groups such as the Wetherby and Villages Clean River Group and Ilkley Clean River Campaign, to apply for bathing water status and the monitoring that this provides, to prompt the government into taking action will be all too late.
Yorkshire Water were contacted for comment and have made the following statement:
“We completely understand the increased public interest in river quality in our region. It is an issue that must be addressed by a range of agencies working together. Water companies have a key role to play, but our investment alone will not achieve good ecological status for rivers. Coordinated action is needed by farmers, local authorities, businesses and local people.
“As well as supporting the government’s Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan, we look to go beyond the regulatory measures with our customers’ and regulators’ support. We’re carrying out additional work to reduce spills, and recently announced an extra £180m investment from our shareholders that will take our total investment in river water quality between 2020-2025 to almost £1bn.”
