
Press & Media
The Times: Windermere ‘had 200,000 litres of sewage dumped in it a day’
Nearly two hundred thousand litres of raw sewage was spilled in one day into a lake flowing into Windermere, according to campaigners who claim the discharge was illegal.
The details of the sewage dumping come as new legal rules take effect, requiring water firms to be more transparent about their efforts to stop pollution.
Channel 4 News: Has sewage been illegally dumped into Lake District protected site?
Campaigners are calling for regulators to urgently investigate whether water company United Utilities has been illegally spilling sewage into one of the UK’s most protected sites.
The Times: Cunliffe report won’t make one atom of the UK’s water any cleaner
Before the election, during the election and after the election, the government promised us a complete root-and-branch review, a wide-ranging re-examination and a complete reset for the water industry. We were promised champagne but today we’ve been offered sour milk.
The Daily Express: Labour accused of 'misleading' Britons over cost of cleaning Britain's rivers and lakes
Ministers have been accused of misleading the public over claims that it has secured £100 billion in private investment for the water industry over the next five years.
BBC: Swimmers warned after harmful algae found in lake
Swimmers have been told to avoid part of a popular lake after harmful blue-green algae was found in the water. The blooms, which can make people ill if swallowed, were discovered at the Lakeside YMCA bathing area in Windermere, in the Lake District. Environmental campaigners said they believed it had been caused by a combination of pollution flowing into the lake and the warmer weather.
BBC: Water quality monitors moved after activist tests
Water quality monitors near England's largest lake which were deemed ineffective by campaigners have now been moved.
The Environment Agency (EA) installed the monitors at Cunsey Beck, which feeds into Windermere in the Lake District, after a fish kill in June 2022 in which "100% of life" within the river was suspected to have died.
Sky News: Campaigners say analysis shows illegal sewage spills in Lake Windermere reach record levels
Sewage was illegally poured into the Lake District's famous Lake Windermere for a record number of days last year, campaigners say, citing new analysis.
The Times: Windermere polluters ‘must be prosecuted’ for illegal sewage spills
Windermere recently suffered the worst year since 2020 for illegal sewage spills, according to analysis of water company data by campaign groups. A joint investigation by Save Windermere and Windrush Against Sewage Pollution used data from United Utilities to determine when the company was releasing sewage into Windermere and when it should have, by law, been treating it.
BBC: Record number of illegal sewage spills in Windermere last year
Sewage spilled illegally into England's largest lake on a record number of days last year, an analysis of water company data by campaigners suggests.
The Guardian: ‘The nation is watching’, sewage dumps in Windermere must end, says activist
Sewage dumping in Windermere must end, says activist as ministers urged to do more after United Utilities discharged raw sewage into Unesco site for 6,327 hours last year.
BBC: England sewage spills hit record 3.6m hours last year
Water companies released raw sewage into England's rivers and seas for a record 3.61 million hours last year, a slight increase on 2023.
The Big Issue: Labour has vowed to cleaning up Windermere – but our fight for a sewage-free lake is not over
Labour’s environment secretary Steve Reed has set out the government’s ambition to make England’s biggest lake free from sewage pollution. It’s a notable milestone but the fight goes on, writes Save Windermere’s Matt Staniek.
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