Water accompany accused of pumping 10 million litres of raw sewage into England’s largest Lake in repeat of 2022 pollution incident
Taylor Swift eulogised the natural beauty of Windermere in the poetic lyrics of her song ‘The Lakes’, which featured on her 2020 blockbuster album Folklore.
A BBC Panorama investigation found that, in an almost identical incident to a major sewage spill in 2022, regional water company United Utilities discharged raw sewage into Windermere (England’s largest lake) in February this year.
According to the Panorama investigation, an estimated 10 million litres of untreated sewage was mistakenly pumped into the lake before United Utilities engineers could fix the fault.
Water quality teams from the Environment Agency were informed after the discharge had been stopped and couldn’t find any substantial evidence of any serious impact on water quality. But the Panorama investigation claimed that the Agency failed to investigate the incident properly or question United Utilities’ account of events.
Experts maintain that, owing to its location, Windermere should be a pristine upland lake with crystal clear water for most of the year, but in recent summers the water has turnedgreen due to algal ‘blooming’ – an explosion of algae which can reduce oxygen levels in the water, killing fish and aquatic life.
Every summer, thousands of watersports enthusiasts flock to Windermere to sail, paddle and swim, but blooms of toxic blue-green algae seriously impact these leisure activities.
Water quality campaigners claim that the algal blooms are being made worse by nutrients from untreated sewage acting as fertilisers that turbocharge algae growth.
Matt Staniek, founder of Save Windermere, which campaigns to clean up water quality in the National Park, said this was another example of the Environment Agency failing to hold a privatised water company to account.
“I won’t let my dog swim in certain parts of Windermere and I certainly wouldn’t swim anywhere near United Utilities’ outlets in the lake,” said Matt.
“Because Windermere is such a huge body of standing water, it takes around nine months for water entering the top of the lake to exit at the lower end, meaning any sewage remains in the lake for a long time.
“Yet, more than a year after a similar fault caused the discharge of raw sewage in 2022, it seems that nothing has been done to prevent this happening again. United Utilities didn’t stop the discharge for 10 hours and then waited another three hours before notifying the Environment Agency.
“It’s a fundamental failure of regulation that allows shareholder returns to be prioritised over environmental protection. United Utilities has failed to invest in the infrastructure needed to cope with additional demand from the visitor economy and more unpredictable climate.”
A United Utilities spokesperson said: “This incident was caused by an unexpected fault on the third-party telecoms cable network in the area, which United Utilities was not notified about and which affected both the primary system and United Utilities’ backup. As soon as we discovered this fault was affecting the Glebe Road pumping station, our engineers took urgent steps to resolve the situation and we informed the Environment Agency within an hour of the pollution being confirmed.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “The pollution incident at Bowness was reported to us by United Utilities as the result of a major systems communication failure in the area. Our officer attended the scene to confirm with UU that the discharge had ceased and to carry out water sampling in areas affected.
“We are undertaking a thorough investigation into the incident which involves examining further evidence from United Utilities. If we determine a permit breach has taken place, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action.”
Describing the BBC reporting as ‘inaccurate’, DEFRA – the Government ministry responsible for the environment – said it was committed to improving water quality in Windermere and would be reviewing wastewater treatment works permits within the catchment.
Local MP Tim Farron said: “This week’s revelations from the BBC are absolutely scandalous. They are also a stark reminder that this Government are leaving Windermere, and so many other of our precious lakes and rivers woefully unprotected.
“That’s why I have put forward amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill in the House of Commons which would prosecute water company bosses for polluting Britain’s waterways. This new change in the law would deliver justice for swimmers, wildlife and our natural environment.”
Tim’s constituency covers Windermere.
The Lake District National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of England’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting millions of visitors from around the world each year. At 5.7 square miles in area, Windermere is the largest in a string of lakes, tarns and meres from which the Lake District takes its name.
Often simply referred to as ‘The Lakes’, this mountainous region in north-western England is some 2,400 square miles in size and is home to the nation’s highest mountain: Scafell Pike 3,210ft; and also its deepest lake: Wastwater at 258ft. The Lake District was popularised by the romantic poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge in the early 19th Century.
Swift is the latest in a long line of artists and poets who were captivated by the natural beauty of England’s Lake District – stretching back to Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth in the early 19th Century.
Today, Wordsworth would be turning in his grave (he’s buried in St Oswald’s Church, Grasmere) if he were to witness the pollution issues affecting his beloved Lake District.
The Lakes Lyrics
“Tell me what are my words worth?
“Take me to the Lakes, where all the poets went to die.
“I don’t belong, and my beloved, neither do you
“Those Windermere Peaks look like a perfect place to cry.”