United Utilities slammed over raw sewage dumps in East Lancs

Lancashire experienced more than 250,000 hours of raw sewage spills in 2023 according to data from the Rivers Trust.

The data per local authority mirrors a trend seen nationally, where sewage spills doubled from 2022 to 2023, and Lancashire witnessed more than 8,000 more incidents compared to the previous year. almost 22 a day.

A spill is classed by the Rivers Trust as 12 straight hours of raw sewage discharge, and any discharge in the subsequent 24-hour block is counted as one additional spill.

Last week new environment secretary Steve Reed met with all water companies to discuss a series of reforms.

He says these will include ensuring funding for water infrastructure is ring-fenced and can only be spent on upgrades.

These are essential throughout East Lancashire where multiple local authorities witnessed more than 30,000 hours of untreated sewage entering the waterways.

The Ribble Valley River Trust said: “Any regulations are a step in the right direction, and the new government's regulations should hopefully see water companies cleaning up their act.

“However, if this is unsuccessful, we hope to see further regulatory reform.”

Blackburn with Darwen experienced more than 2,800 spills in 2023 equating to more than 33,000 hours and more than seven a day across the borough.

The data placed the local authority 54th nationally for levels of untreated sewage discharge, and the surge dwarfed the previous year’s figure, marking an increase of almost 50 per cent.

Councillor Jim Smith, Blackburn and Darwen Council's executive member for environment, said: “My hope is the government will renationalise them [water companies].

 “It is the water boards who deal with it. It is them who have been dumping raw sewage and it needs to stop straight away. They are putting profit before people.”

The North West mainly runs on a combined sewage system, meaning rainwater and sewage enter into the same pipe, which puts additional pressure on the system.

Therefore, United Utilities faces additional struggles in limiting the number of spills in its sewer systems.

The water company has already made £330 million worth of investments in Lancashire over the last five years and said it is determined to do more.

Rob Moore, United Utilities' Lancashire business leader, said: “We are aware of the problem, and we want to do better.

“We are looking at accelerating solutions and how to increase the capacity at our treatment works.

“Because we have such a high proportion of combined sewers we are heavily influenced by rainfall and a changing climate.”

This issue has been extrapolated by increased amounts of urban development across the North West, which increases the risk of surface run-off, the company said.

It added that last year had the highest recorded period of wet weather, meaning storm overflows were used to prevent sewage from backing up into homes during heavy rain.

The numbers were also extrapolated by additional monitoring systems in place to highlight the issue, it said.

However, the Ribble Rivers Trust suggested that water companies are using overflows routinely, even on dry days.

The Ribble Valley recorded 2,671 spills, an increase of 23.89 per cent from 2022.

A Ribble River Trust spokesperson said: “Sadly, we do sometimes encounter issues caused by pollution at our river improvement sites.

"This isn’t limited to sewage pollution, but it is always frustrating to see hard work undermined.

“Rivers are incredibly special places, and everyone should have the right to safely access their local green or blue space for recreation without the fear of encountering human waste or falling ill to waterborne disease.”

The Ribble Rivers Trust added this type of pollution is terrible for the environment, not just because of the obvious cause of untreated human waste, but also pharmaceuticals which are flushed or passed through the human body.

This can wipe out an entire ecosystem at an astonishingly rapid rate, killing multiple species and rendering rivers barren until they can be slowly rehabilitated, it said.

The spokesperson added: "The current system is proving that it is no longer fit for purpose due to both its age and limited capacity.

"United Utilities have been upgrading treatment works across its area, which is a step forward in the right direction, but more needs to be done." 

Chorley, Lancaster and Rossendale all also exceeded the national average for sewage spills, with 2,250, 1,870, and 1,704 respectively.

Contained within the spills were human waste, wet wipes and sanitary products, which pose a serious risk to the local wildlife, swimmers and others who use UK waterways.

Hyndburn and Burnley boroughs both also saw an increase in spills, while in Pendle levels remained the same, but still in excess of 1,000.

Data: Rivers Trust (Image: Jack Stott)

Last Tuesday (July 23) Ofwat announced it had opened enforcement cases into four more firms, including United Utilities.

This opening followed a detailed analysis of information on companies' environmental performance and data about how often these companies spill from storm overflows. 

A United Utilities statement said: "Following the announcement from Ofwat, we will continue to work closely with the regulator and provide it with the information it requires as part of the next stage of its sector-wide review into storm overflow operations.”

Additionally, plans which were announced last week claimed water bills will rise by an average of £19 a year over the next five years to replace leaking pipes and reduce sewage discharge into rivers and seas.

This hike in bills comes despite United Utilities reporting a £480 million operating profit in its annual financial statement in May, up 8.9 per cent on the previous year.

Mr Moore added: “It is about getting the balance right between the environment and the personal cost."

United Utilities has included a financial support budget of £525m for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

The company has promised a new scheme aimed at cleaning up the region’s rivers, beaches and lakes – aiming for storm overflows to operate less than 10 times a year by 2050 - it has already completed more than 30 per cent of this work.