This blog will display news and events information in chronological order, newest first, plus a list of the most recent posts. The drop down Category list below It can be filtered by category from the list, which is in alphabetical order.
New Inquiry into PR24 etc
The Committee will hold the first evidence session of this inquiry in January, where it will consider the impact of Ofwat’s final determination on how much water bills will be permitted to rise over the next five years. It will then take evidence from some of the worst performing water companies to determine what has gone wrong in the sector and how the Government can make improvements.
This new inquiry will examine the Government’s work taking place in this area, including the progress of the Water (Special Measures) Bill, and the work of the Government’s Independent Commission into the water sector, which is expected to report in mid-2025.
THIS MEANS we need letters to MPs asap. If any of your members haven’t written to your MP please can you ask them too. Here is the link to the template letter
https://campaigns.
Thanks all
Water (Special Measures) Bill Labour not suporting our amendments
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The government clarify and enforce existing legislation
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Stop untreated sewage discharges outside Exceptional Circumstances (to comply with the 1994 act)
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Put failing water companies into special administration (Amend Section 12 – 14)
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Convict Directors that fail to address prosecutable offenses (Amend section 5-7 ).
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That the Water (Special Measures Bill) is further amended to:
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Reform the duties of Ofwat to be for clean water, conservation and reasonable bills (Amend Section 9).
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Prohibits public bailout of the water industry (Amend Section 12 Modification by Secretary of State of water company’s appointment conditions etc to recover losses).
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Put employees and bill payers on the Boards of water companies (Addition to Section 1)
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Require volume monitoring on every outflow and public scrutiny of all water company self-monitoring of water quality (Amend section 3 141F Reporting on discharge from emergency overflows)
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Ofwat rises prices further than they trailed in July An average of £31 a year
Message from Professor Becky Malby of ICRG
OFWAT PRICE RISES
URGENT: ASK YOUR MP TO STOP WATER BILL RISES
I am angry and alarmed at today’s huge price rises for water, and write to ask you to require this government to stop the bill rises until all criminal investigations of water companies are completed, and the government has fully investigated water company finances.
It is shocking in the midst of a cost of living crisis, to be asked to pay more whilst wealthy shareholders continue to extract money, and we continue to be cheated from the services we are paying for – the treatment of our sewage. We have no choice in who provides our water and sewerage services, we are captive customers and therefore powerless.
We know that the water industry has already received all the investment it needs to fund the infrastructure upgrades necessary to comply with the law, with £17bn spare, so why are we being asked to pay again for a service we should already have received?
The public has had enough of the illegality and mismanagement at the heart of the UK’s privatised water industry. I hope you will stand up for us in opposing these bill increases and in pushing for a fairer water system that puts people and nature, not shareholder profit, at its heart.
Swimming status of Ilkley’s River Wharfe in limbo over sewage pollution
Stretch of river in West Yorkshire was first to get bathing status in 2020 but has since recorded poor water quality.
That’s the headline in today’s Guardian.
The first river to be given bathing water status in England is in limbo waiting for the Environment Agency (EA) to approve crucial nature-based solutions that are part of £43m in improvements to cut sewage pollution.
You can read the whole article by clicking here
River Wharfe Revealed to Have Concerning Pollution Levels
Recent testing conducted by Wetherby and Villages Clean River Group, in partnership with Surfers Against Sewage, Watershed, and York University has highlighted alarming pollution levels in the River Wharfe at Wetherby. Over a week of monitoring in August this year, 17 sites were analysed, with Wetherby often recording higher levels of harmful bacteria and pollutants compared to Ilkley.
Bacteria Levels Exceed Thresholds
Testing showed consistently high levels of E. Coli and coliform bacteria, indicators of faecal contamination:
- Day 1: Wetherby ranked 4th worst for E. Coli and 5th for coliform bacteria.
- Day 4: E. Coli levels were the 2nd highest, and coliforms ranked 1st, both exceeding Ilkley’s measurements.
- Day 7: Wetherby was 4th worst for E. Coli and 3rd for coliforms, remaining significantly polluted.
Chemical Pollution – Top 3 Contaminants in Wetherby
Additional testing identified 43 unique pollutants, with a worrying concentration of industrial and pharmaceutical residues. The top three pollutants were:
- Chrysene – Found in coal tar, bitumen, and asphalt, commonly used in road and roofing materials.
- Metformin – A widely prescribed medication for Type 2 diabetes, indicative of wastewater contamination.
- Fexofenadine – An antihistamine used to treat allergies, also linked to pharmaceutical discharge.
Comparison with Ilkley
Ilkley is a key comparison further up the Wharfe, their top pollutants included metformin, caffeine, and nicotine, while Wetherby’s profile includes a significant industrial contaminant, chrysene, suggesting differing pollution sources and risks.
The next steps
The results provide a positive lever in effecting change to improve the river Wharfe. Working with Yorkshire Water, The Environment agency, Local and National Government, we will be pressing for practical measures to ensure a reduction in human and pollutant waste.
Read today’s article in The Times
Mark Barrow receives Wetherby Townsperson of the Year award
“Well that was out of the blue and totally unexpected. This morning i was awarded the Wetherby towns person of the year 2025 award for my services locally and nationally to the freshwater environment over the last 35 years. For once i was just about speechless”.
#freshwaterfish
Mark Barrow on Countryfile 17th November 2024
“I have been filming with Countryfile in the Yorkshire Dales about my filming and journey over 35 years, covering grayling, barbel and the European eel.
It was a real treat to be asked and to get my underwater work shown on the programme,”
This is the link to the programme next week – https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002569h
Independent Water Commission needs to move quickly to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas
Press Release issued by ICRG:
- You can find a briefing on our broken sewage system provided to all MPs here
- Ilkley Clean River Group has been campaigning for 5 years to stop the sewage pollution of the River Wharfe
- The Sewage Campaign Network with the assistance of Prof Ewan McGaughey, Professor of Law at Kings College University, London, have provided a set of amendments to protect the public from further exploitation from the broken water industry.
- Ilkley Clean River Group is a founding member of The Sewage Campaign Network:Henley Mermaids, Ilkley Clean River Group, Save Windermere, SOS Whitstable, and Windrush Against Sewage Pollution are a network of leading grassroots campaigners steeped in our local communities, trying to save our rivers, lakes and seas from sewage pollution; and the founders of the current massive public storm. Our coalition consists of the forerunners in the campaign to stop sewage pollution, passionate community members committed to safeguarding rivers, lakes, and coastlines from pollution. We have not been captured, we don’t take money from government, regulators or the water companies; we are truly independent. We take pride in our integrity. We have found that in order to save our local waters, we have had to step up and challenge the whole water system, campaigning to get the law enforced. We are also mobilising hundreds of community campaign groups like ours, providing briefings, educational sessions, supporting the practicalities of water testing, campaigning and lobbying. Each group within the network operates independently, but we speak as one, channeling the public’s outrage at pollution for profit.
- Ilkley Clean River Group secured the first river to be awarded Bathing Status. The river is persistently rated poor water quality and the Status is up for renewal in 2025. If it remains poor the river will be ‘de-designated’ by Defra
- The campaign has secured some investment from Yorkshire Water with a new Sewer in Ilkley, and there is a plan to clean up the river currently going through the Ofwat PR24 process.
Guardian article about putting water companies into Special Administration
Thames Water and other failing water companies should be placed into special administration to allow the government to tackle much-needed reforms to the industry, campaigners say.
Triggering special administration would put Thames and other failing companies in government control, removing company directors and ending the dividends paid to shareholders. The companies could then be transferred to new owners who could be publicly owned or controlled.
The campaigners include Save Windermere, Ilkley Clean River Group, Surfers Against Sewage, Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, SOS Whitstable and River Action.
You can read the whole Guardian article here