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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ministers have promised that “only rainwater” will enter Windermere, but have failed to give a legally binding deadline on when sewage spills will stop.

Steve Reed, the environment secretary, made the pledge as he visited the Lake District on Monday, where he said he was “absolutely committed” to cleaning up Windermere’s two basins. Last year raw sewage was discharged in the lake over more than 6,000 hours.

For years celebrities and campaigners have rallied to demand the Lake District's iconic Windermere is cleaned up from pollution - finally the Government agrees.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed has vowed to "clean up Windermere" by ensuring "only rainwater" and not sewage pollution enters England’s largest lake.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed is vowing to restore Windermere to its "natural beauty" with an ambitious scheme. The government is vowing to clean up Windermere and stop it being "choked" by sewage pollution.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed wants to ensure "only rainwater" enters England's largest lake.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed is to pledge to ensure "only rainwater" enters England's largest lake. On a visit to Windermere in Cumbria he said the government was "committed to cleaning up this iconic lake" as part of its Plan for Change scheme, which aims to upgrade crumbling water infrastructure using private investment.

The government will pledge to “clean up Windermere” and ensure “only rainwater” enters the polluted English beauty spot.

Environment secretary Steve Reed and water minister Emma Hardy will be in Windermere on Monday as part of a Things Can Only Get Cleaner tour.

The government has said it will “clean up Windermere” after criticism over the volume of sewage being pumped into England’s largest lake. The environment secretary, Steve Reed, pledged “only rainwater” would enter the famous body of water in the Lake District, putting an end to the situation where it Windermere was being “choked by unacceptable levels of sewage pollution”.