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You can change your cookie settings at any time Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports The Government has pledged to work with local partners to eliminate sewage discharges into the lake including treatment facilities and storm overflows Environment Secretary Steve Reed will today meet with local campaigners to pledge his support to cleaning up the iconic site Visit marks start of Ministers’ week-long tour as part of government’s Plan for Change to upgrade our crumbling water infrastructure and boost economic growth using over £100 billion private investment Environment Secretary Steve Reed will today (Monday 10 March) pledge to ‘clean up Windermere’ setting out the Government’s support for the long-term ambition of ‘only rainwater’ entering England’s largest lake This comes ahead of a thorough feasibility study – established by the ‘Only Rainwater’ local coalition including United Utilities The study will determine what would be needed to eliminate sewage discharges into the lake drawing on successful examples and innovation from around the world to create a roadmap for delivery government is working on new methods to reduce pollution from private sewage discharges into Windermere Along with new treatment plants and enhanced maintenance the government is supporting the delivery of First-Time Sewerage schemes which provide a mechanism for owners of septic tanks and package treatment works to request connection to the mains sewer under certain conditions This will be vital in consolidating the wastewater infrastructure in the catchment The Environment Secretary will also reiterate his support for local action and regulation to protect and improve water quality including 33 additional Environment Agency specialist officers in the region and a quadrupling of water company inspections Windermere is a stunningly beautiful national treasure – but it’s being choked by unacceptable levels of sewage pollution the Government is committed to cleaning up this iconic lake That is why we are working with a range of local groups and organisations to stop all sewage going into the lake and restore it to its natural beauty The action forms part of this government’s work to transform the water sector and clean up our rivers This includes the Water (Special Measures) Act that will create a level playing field through stronger regulation alongside securing £104 billion of private sector investment to upgrade our crumbling infrastructure boost economic growth and create thousands of good United Utilities are investing £200 million to upgrade 9 wastewater treatment works at Windermere and reduce the spills from all 6 storm overflows discharging into the lake to 10 per year by 2030 over £100 billion of private sector money will be invested into the water sector – the largest investment into water in history This will help to upgrade and build new water infrastructure in every region of the country with sewage pipes 150 major infrastructure projects and power new industries such as gigafactories and data centres This vital investment is a good start – but in the face of climate change we must go further and faster to protect precious natural assets like Windermere which is why government is backing the ambition to eliminate sewage discharges into the lake part of the Lake District National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site It is home to more than 14,000 people and its beautiful scenery rare species and cultural heritage attract a further 7 million visitors per year generating £750 million for the local economy The lake faces pollution from a range of sources including rural and urban land use wastewater from United Utilities and private sewage treatment - issues that are being made worse by climate change The Environment Secretary’s visit to Windermere is the first of seven visits that he and Water Minister Emma Hardy will make on a ‘Things Can Only Get Cleaner’ tour this week to see where investment in water infrastructure will underpin the building of new homes create jobs and turbocharge local economies – a cornerstone of the government’s Plan for Change The government also confirmed today that locally led schemes to clean up waterways are set to receive up to £11m with money based on water company fines and penalties ringfenced to deliver local water projects Successful projects will begin this year and focus on improving the water environment in the same regions where the fines and penalties were issued This could include projects to restore waters to good ecological status; support biodiversity in water-dependent habitats and build resilience to climate change Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details Thanks for visiting Environment secretary points to measures to stop lake being ‘choked by unacceptable levels’ of pollution 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” United Utilities had argued that information on how much phosphorus was being detected at a main sewage treatment works on Windermere did not fall into publicly accessible environmental information On top of legal discharges made by the company into the important habitat, various investigations have found it also illegally dumped millions of litres of raw sewage into the watercourse will be in Windermere on Monday as part of a “Things Can Only Get Cleaner” tour Reed said: “Windermere is a stunningly beautiful national treasure – but it’s being choked by unacceptable levels of sewage pollution.” He added that the government was “committed to cleaning up this iconic lake” as part of its Plan for Change scheme to upgrade the crumbling water infrastructure and increase economic growth using more than £100bn of private investment The government was also working “to stop all sewage going into the lake and restore it to its natural beauty” Local groups and organisations have set up a feasibility study to look into what is needed to eliminate sewage discharges into Windermere and draw on successful examples and innovation from around the world The study has been set up by a coalition that includes United Utilities the Lake District national park authority and Westmorland and Furness council A £200m investment from United Utilities will go towards upgrading nine wastewater treatment works at Windermere and reducing spills from six storm overflows discharging into the lake to two a year by 2030 Upgrades to the remaining two storm overflows are due from around 2030-35 The private sector money will go towards sewage pipes 150 large infrastructure projects and power industries such as gigafactories and datacentres Money from water company fines and penalties has been ringfenced to deliver local water projects and schemes to clean up waterways are to get up to £11m Windermere is home to more than 14,000 people and its scenery rare species and cultural heritage attract seven million visitors a year This article was amended on 10 March 2025 an earlier version said that United Utilities was spending £200m on upgrading 10 wastewater treatment works and reducing spills from four overflows that discharge into Windermere Thanks for visiting Ministers urged to do more after United Utilities discharged raw sewage into Unesco site for 6,327 hours last year Celebrated by William Wordsworth, Windermere has long epitomised the natural timeless beauty of the Lake District with millions of tourists drawn to the shores that inspired the poet a shadow of its 19th century self: its waters blighted by algae and its wildlife threatened by pollution in a symbol of all that is wrong with the privatised water industry This month the environment secretary, Steve Reed, vowed to break with the recent past, standing on its shores and promising that Labour would “clean up Windermere” The lake is showing the impact of sewage pollution from United Utilities treatment plants and increased pressure from climate change-induced temperature rises Reed’s promise was welcomed as a historic moment by Matt Staniek, a campaigner who has almost singlehandedly brought the lake’s plight to national consciousness added that it was just the beginning of the mission to save the lake He said he wanted to see an end to sewage releases into Windermere, something that has been achieved elsewhere in the world, including at Lake Annecy and Lake Geneva The difficulty of that mission was exposed by official figures released by the Environment Agency on Thursday. Windermere, they reveal, was the dumping ground for 6,327 hours of raw sewage discharges from six United Utilities treatment works in 2024. Guardian analysis of the past five years of raw sewage releases reveals more than 32,000 hours of untreated effluent has been discharged into the Unesco world heritage site. In 2022 a category one incident, the most serious, led to a mass fish kill in Cunsey Beck Staniek has succeeded in putting its plight at the top of the environment secretary’s inbox But raw sewage is still pouring into the lake “Today’s data release reveals the true extent of the exploitation of England’s largest lake,” he said “The nation is watching what is happening to the people’s lake and they want to see it protected – both for now and for future generations We want to see a legally binding commitment that will eliminate sewage discharges into Windermere once and for all We want ambition to be turned into action.” Free weekly newsletterThe planet's most important stories Get all the week's environment news - the good United Utilities said Thursday’s data showed a 28% reduction – 2,460 fewer hours – of raw sewage discharges into Windermere The company pointed to the commissioning last August of an additional 2.6m litres of storage at Ambleside and Windermere wastewater treatment plants; the equivalent of just over an Olympic-sized swimming pool the chief operating officer at United Utilities said: “We are committed to playing our part in improving the water quality in the Windermere catchment We’re already on with delivering £200m of investment to ensure we treat wastewater to even higher standards alongside significantly reducing discharges from the six storm overflows that discharge into the lake “The government’s announcement looks at a long-term plan for only rainfall entering Windermere and we will be working with the other partners involved to support this.” atWindermere Cup 16 Hoosiers Spar Top Talent at Windermere Cup5/3/2025 5:04:00 PM | Women's Rowing United Utilities has dropped legal fight to block access to data on the discharge of treated sewage in Lake District The water company United Utilities has conceded defeat in its legal battle to block public access to data on treated sewage it is discharging into Windermere in the Lake District Company officials initially claimed that data from phosphorus monitors at a main sewage treatment works at the lake was not environmental information. The company also wanted to block access to data from Cunsey Beck The company argued that disclosing unverified data might “negatively impact public confidence regarding the way in which water companies operate their assets” The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) ruled last year that the information should be disclosed The Observer has been told that the water company has now withdrawn its appeals which were expected to be heard early this year Campaigner Matt Staniek said legal attempts to block disclosure of the information on treated sewage were a waste of bill payers’ money Photograph: Richard Saker/The ObserverMatt Staniek founder of the campaign group Save Windermere said the attempts to block disclosure of the information were “outrageous” and a “complete waste of bill payers’ money” He added: “The decision notices from the information commissioner supporting Save Windermere’s arguments can be used by campaigners across the country who face issues accessing information from water companies “We now want to see Labour fulfilling its commitments in the lead-up to the general election by ending sewage pollution in Windermere.” The Observer revealed in November how seven United Utilities sewage plants and pumping stations in the Lake District were alleged to have illegally spilled sewage on 501 days from 2018 to 2023. It included a pumping station estimated in a BBC report to have pumped 140m litres of waste into Windermere in three years. Campaigners want Labour to back a new infrastructure project to end the discharges into Windermere. They say the lake is now regularly blighted by blue-green algae, which is linked to increased pollution. The illegal dumping of sewage by water companies across England and Wales has become one of the big political issues in recent years. The government has introduced a water (special measures) bill giving regulators new powers to ban bonuses and impose tougher penalties for breaking the law, including imprisonment for water bosses. Read moreIn October last year, United Utilities was reprimanded by the ICO for failing to properly handle requests for environmental information from the public The ICO said: “We found that the water company often refuses to respond to requests because they claim that the information being requested isn’t environmental. We have now instructed United Utilities to take a much broader interpretation of environmental information in line with decisions made by the commissioner.” A United Utilities spokesperson, said: “In our commitment to being more transparent, we are making information even more accessible. “We welcome clarifications made by the Information Commissioner’s Office and will continue to engage with its processes to ensure what is disclosed falls under the scope of [environmental information regulations].” The spokesperson added: “In Windermere we have, so far, invested £75m upgrading our treatment works and pumping stations. “We are now delivering at pace a further £200m of investment in the catchment as we make further improvements to ensure we treat wastewater to even higher standards, alongside significantly reducing discharges from the six storm overflows that discharge into the lake.” This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025. The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media. I'm back on the road and heading north to one of the jewels in the British landscape the lakes covers an area of over 2,000 square kilometres and has a population of 40,000 residents but that is immensely inflated by tourists with almost 20 million visiting in 2019 isn't free from the threat of river pollution Prolonged high temperatures have resulted in harmful algae bloom spreading across England's largest lake Algal blooms can occur naturally but they're made worse by sewage The pressure from sewage as well as agriculture and tourism is having a major impact on the very thing that draws people to the area: Lake Windermere And campaigners like Matt Staniek are worried for the lake's future See where all those islands are… just past that the lake splits into essentially two millponds You could see it from space - there's satellite imagery to show the extent of this bloom and it peaked on the thirteenth of August And you know this is an oligotrophic lake in its natural state And the reason that now Windermere's eutrophic is the human impact that we're seeing and this is just getting worse and worse as more people visit here and put too much pressure on inadequate infrastructure And we've got big tourism industry - I mean look at the tourists that are driving past us right now My big fear is that in the bed of the light we've got this layer of sludge which is essentially decades worth of pollution that has collected at the bottom and sits there It's extremely high in nutrients and this in itself is going to create a whole lot of issues if it finds a way to the surface of the lake That's my biggest pet peeve of this situation Why does it take something terrible happening for us to actually say we should put an end to sewage pollution in the Lake District National Park What's going to happen when someone dies in Windermere This isn't just looking at the next five years of Windermere We have to look into thirty years' time What's going to happen - and what do we need to do Paul visits Lake Windermere in the Lake District to speak to environmental campaigner Matt Staniek about pollution levels and how tourists may be contributing to this The Lake District is England's largest National Park and covers an area of 912 square miles (2362 square kilometres) Within the area of national park can be found England’s highest mountain The Lake District is of significant cultural and economic importance and attracts millions of visitors its modest population of 40,000 people was visited by 20 million tourists In recent years Lake Windermere has suffered from algae blooms which can occur naturally but are made worse by a combination of high temperatures and run off from farmland and septic tanks In its natural state Windermere is an oligotrophic lake which means it is low in nutrients and high in oxygen The rise in nutrients from pollutants is transforming the lake into a eutrophic state causing low oxygen levels and detrimental impacts on wildlife The pressure of visitors is a contributing factor to the pollution damaging the environment that attracts tourists in the first place This video is part of UK rivers case studies, a series of clips taken from Paul Whitehouse: Our Troubled Rivers – available on BBC iPlayer Back to topTeacher NotesBefore watching the film: All these short clips build on students’ understanding of human and environmental interactions and provide opportunities to practice geographical skills such as enquiry, mapping and fieldwork. At KS3, students can learn more about how human and physical processes interact to influence, and change landscapes, environments and the climate. At KS4, the film supports understanding about fluvial environments, flooding hazards and climate change, environmental management and fieldwork investigation. The film might also be used for example, to contribute to studies of small scale eco-systems (CCEA), how human activities modify processes and interactions within ecosystems (WJEC), and the impact of conflict between social, economic and environmental needs (SQA). This clip could be used to support the delivery of geography to KS3 and KS4 students. Specifically, this topic appears in OCR, Edexcel, AQA KS4/GCSE in England, WJEC Progression Step 4/5 in Wales, CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland and SQA S4/5 in Scotland. Back to topFurther clips from Paul Whitehouse: Our Troubled RiversWater industry privatisation A look at the background to the privatisation of ten regional water authorities in 1989 River Wharfe and wastewater systems in the UK videoRiver Wharfe and wastewater systems in the UK West Yorkshire to see how it is affected by pollution from sewage Beavers and rewilding in the UK videoBeavers and rewilding in the UK Paul visits the River Tamar in Devon to hear about a project that aims to let nature restore ecosystems Pharmaceutical pollution in the River Clyde videoPharmaceutical pollution in the River Clyde Paul visits the River Clyde in Glasgow to hear about pharmaceutical pollution and its consequences River monitoring and 're-wiggling' on the River Ribble videoRiver monitoring and 're-wiggling' on the River Ribble Paul visits the River Ribble in Lancashire to look at biodiversity monitoring and a project that is putting meanders back into the river River Tame microplastic pollution Paul learns about how microplastic pollution affects the River Tame in Greater Manchester River Test and UK chalk streams Paul visits Hampshire to look at a very rare habitat – England contains 85% of all chalk streams in the world River Thames Tideway project videoRiver Thames Tideway project Paul visits the construction site of a 'super sewer' in London Intensive chicken farming and the River Wye videoIntensive chicken farming and the River Wye Paul looks at how agricultural pollution is affecting the River Wye The wooden bridge over Cunsey Beck appears to be extremely rickety but Matt Staniek has been here many times before and offers reassurance We step into the middle and look down into the water a protected wetland and site of special scientific interest supporting a diversity of plants and breeding birds It is an idyllic spot sitting below Hill Top the 17th-century farm once owned by Beatrix Potter “Is it any stretch of the imagination that Beatrix Potter would have walked down from her house onto the bridge and stared into Cunsey Beck when she was writing The Tale Some cookies are essential to make our website work we'd like to set other cookies to show us how our website is being used Windermere Ferry will be out of service for up to three weeks of works as the Council further invests in the reliability of ‘Mallard’  From Monday 27 January until Friday 14 February deepwater seals and driveline improvements amongst other routine checks as a part of a planned maintenance package Westmorland and Furness Council completed a significant inspection and refit of the ferry which saw significant upgrades the lead government agency responsible for ensuring maritime safety approved the programme which secured the vessel’s licence to continue providing a service across Lake Windermere the Council identified signs of wear on bespoke components of the vessel and recommended future replacements to improve reliability and minimise the risk of unplanned maintenance Due to a 16-week lead time for these custom parts the replacements could not be completed within the five-week refit period the Council has scheduled these final improvements to take place during low season Westmorland and Furness Council Cabinet Member for Highways and ICT Cllr Peter Thornton said: “Maintaining the reliability and safety of Windermere Ferry is a key priority for the Council These final works will put the finishing touches on our significant investment aimed at delivering an efficient and dependable service across Lake Windermere for both residents and visitors “By scheduling these essential upgrades during the low season and outside school holidays we are working to minimise disruption for our users “We appreciate your patience during this period and encourage everyone to sign up for our ferry user updates where we will share our progress.” The Council’s significant investment programme started in December 2023 with modifications to the ferry’s ramps and the installation of longer chains These upgrades have proven successful with no service interruptions caused by high lake levels throughout 2024 Updates on the upcoming works programme will be shared via our daily service people can subscribe to at westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk. Subscribe today and we'll email you the latest newsletter updates about your new council Choose from a range of topics so that you only receive emails about the areas and services which interest you the most Subscribe to news updates New Help improve this site by giving feedback Only use this form to give us feedback about how the website is working - If you want to tell us about an issue or problem with our services, or you need a response to an issue, please contact us. 16 Rowing Ready for Weekend at Windermere Cup5/2/2025 11:09:00 AM | Women's Rowing The Government will announce today that it pledges to clean up Windermere Environment Secretary Steve Reed is visiting the Lake District and will set out the Government’s support for the long-term ambition of only rainwater entering England’s largest lake It comes ahead of a feasibility study – established by the Only Rainwater local coalition including United Utilities drawing on successful examples and innovation from around the world to create a roadmap for delivery.  the Government said it was working on new methods to reduce pollution from private sewage discharges into Windermere the Government said it was supporting the delivery of First-Time Sewerage schemes which provide a mechanism for owners of septic tanks and package treatment works to request connection to the mains sewer under certain conditions It added: “This will be vital in consolidating the wastewater infrastructure in the catchment Mr Reed said: “Windermere is a stunningly beautiful national treasure – but it’s being choked by unacceptable levels of sewage pollution “That is why we are working with a range of local groups and organisations to stop all sewage going into the lake and restore it to its natural beauty.”  United Utilities are investing £200 million to upgrade nine wastewater treatment works at Windermere and reduce the spills from four storm overflows discharging into the lake to 10 per year by 2030 with upgrades to the remaining six storm overflows proposed for 2030-35 over £100 billion of private sector money will be invested into the water sector The Government said: “This vital investment is a good start – but in the face of climate change which is why the Government is backing the ambition to eliminate sewage discharges into the lake rare species and cultural heritage attract a further seven million visitors per year “The lake faces pollution from a range of sources including rural and urban land use wastewater from United Utilities and private sewage treatment – issues that are being made worse by climate change.” The Environment Secretary’s visit to Windermere is the first of seven visits that he and Water Minister Emma Hardy will make on a Things Can Only Get Cleaner tour this week The Government also confirmed that locally led schemes to clean up waterways are set to receive up to £11m Westmorland & Lonsdale MP Tim Farron said: “This is a fantastic victory for the long running campaign to clean up our beautiful Windermere lake.“For too long firms like United Utilities have been destroying lakes and rivers with filthy sewage dumping – hitting human health harming our precious environment and damaging the local tourism economy.“Enough is enough The Liberal Democrats will continue to hold the ministers’ feet to the fire to make sure they honour their promise and protect Windermere.“ Last week, United Utilities said its £200 million plan to reduce sewage spills in Windermere was moving at pace and catchment monitoring recorded a 28% reduction in spill duration – equating to 2,460 fewer hours of spills. it was criticised by the Save Windermere campaign group which said because United Utilities measured the success of its storm overflow reduction efforts on the number of spill events rather than the total volume of sewage discharged it failed to provide a rigorous assessment of the overall environmental impact It said data it had obtained revealed that there were still 6,327 hours of spills into the lake from six sites around it Last month, United Utilities chief executive Louise Beardmore told MPs that the firm needed to do more to prevent discharges in the future. 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Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value" The TimesRaw sewage was released into Windermere for most of last year data obtained under freedom of information laws has revealed which serves the Lake District and the northwest released untreated sewage into England’s largest lake for more than 6,000 hours last year equivalent to an average of 17 hours a day The firm said the true daily figure would be lower as some spills happened simultaneously at multiple sites The Unesco site, which draws huge numbers of tourists and is used by swimmers and anglers, has been plagued in recent years by algae blooms linked to excessive nutrient pollution Registered in England No. 894646. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Environment Secretary Steve Reed is set to pledge to “clean up Windermere” ahead of a drive to ensure “only rainwater” enters England’s largest lake The Cabinet minister will be in Windermere on Monday as part of a Things Can Only Get Cleaner tour Mr Reed said: “Windermere is a stunningly beautiful national treasure – but it’s being choked by unacceptable levels of sewage pollution.” He said the Government is “committed to cleaning up this iconic lake” as part of its Plan for Change scheme to upgrade the crumbling water infrastructure and boost economic growth using more than £100 billion of private investment The Government is also working “to stop all sewage going into the lake and restore it to its natural beauty” Local groups and organisations have set up a feasibility study to look into what is needed to eliminate sewage discharges into the lake and draw on successful examples and innovation from around the world The study has been set up by the Only Rainwater coalition, which includes United Utilities the Lake District National Park authority and Westmorland and Furness Council part of the Lake District National Park Unesco World Heritage Site rare species and cultural heritage attract seven million visitors per year Wastewater from United Utilities and private sewage treatment along with rural and urban land use are among a range of pollution issues it faces Sewage spills from water infrastructure have contributed to the pollution of beauty spots including Windermere Storm overflows – which release untreated wastewater into rivers and seas when there is heavy rain to prevent sewers becoming overwhelmed – have dumped sewage into the lake Water utilities have been handed multimillion-pound fines for repeated and damaging illegal pollution in recent years and there is concern about the levels of leaks from water infrastructure – especially in times of drought when hosepipe bans are imposed. Climate change and worsening weather extremes, from downpours to drought, are expected to pile more pressure on supplies. The Government is initially looking at new methods to reduce pollution from private sewage discharges into Windermere. New treatment plants and enhanced maintenance is being backed along with schemes to let owners of septic tanks and package treatment works ask for a connection to the mains sewer under certain conditions. This could be useful in consolidating the wastewater infrastructure. The Government sees the Water (Special Measures) Act as a way to produce stronger regulation alongside securing £104 billion of private sector investment to upgrade infrastructure, help the economy and create jobs. A £200 million investment from United Utilities will go towards upgrading nine wastewater treatment works at Windermere and reducing spills from six storm overflows discharging into the lake to 10 per year by 2030. The private sector money will go towards sewage pipes, water treatment works and nine reservoirs, supporting 1.5 million new homes, 150 major infrastructure projects and power industries such as gigafactories and data centres. Money from water company fines and penalties has been ringfenced to deliver local water projects, and schemes to clean up waterways are set to get up to £11 million. Successful projects, which applied for the Water Restoration Fund, will begin this year to improve the water environment in regions where the fines and penalties were issued. Restoring waters to good ecological status, supporting biodiversity in water-dependent habitats and building resilience to climate change are some of the potential schemes. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Environment secretary Steve Reed has vowed to ensure ‘only rainwater’ enters England’s largest lake I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice 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 “Windermere is a stunningly beautiful national treasure – but it’s being choked by unacceptable levels of sewage pollution,” Mr Reed said The commitment to “stop all sewage going into the lake” will form part of the Plan for Change scheme to upgrade the crumbling water infrastructure and boost economic growth using more than £100 billion of private investment The study has been set up by the Only Rainwater coalition, which includes United Utilities, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, Save Windermere, Love Windermere, the Lake District National Park authority and Westmorland and Furness Council. Wastewater from United Utilities and private sewage treatment along with rural and urban land use are among a range of pollution issues Windermere faces. Sewage spills from water infrastructure have contributed to the pollution of beauty spots including Windermere. Storm overflows – which release untreated wastewater into rivers and seas when there is heavy rain to prevent sewers becoming overwhelmed – have dumped sewage into the lake. Water utilities have been handed multimillion-pound fines for repeated and damaging illegal pollution in recent years and there is concern about the levels of leaks from water infrastructure – especially in times of drought when hosepipe bans are imposed. The government is initially looking at new methods to reduce pollution from private sewage discharges into Windermere. New treatment plants and enhanced maintenance is being backed along with schemes to let owners of septic tanks and package treatment works ask for a connection to the mains sewer under certain conditions. This could be useful in consolidating the wastewater infrastructure. The government sees the Water (Special Measures) Act as a way to produce stronger regulation alongside securing £104 billion of private sector investment to upgrade infrastructure, help the economy and create jobs. A £200 million investment from United Utilities will go towards upgrading 10 wastewater treatment works at Windermere and reducing spills from four storm overflows discharging into the lake to 10 per year by 2030. Upgrades to the remaining two storm overflows are due from around 2030-35. Money from water company fines and penalties has been ring fenced to deliver local water projects, and schemes to clean up waterways are set to get up to £11 million. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies {"adUnitPath":"71347885/_main_independent/gallery","autoGallery":true,"disableAds":false,"gallery":[{"data":{"title":"Lake District from the air","description":"Aerial view of Windermere in the Lake District","caption":"The government says it is “committed to cleaning up this iconic lake” The government says it is “committed to cleaning up this iconic lake” Westmorland and Furness Council is investing in vital resurfacing works on the A591 as part of its multi-million-pound highways improvement programme These works at ‘Alice Howe’ are essential safety improvements and will address the current condition of the road to improve safety for the road user particularly its skid resistance and surface texture To minimise disruption and ensure the resurfacing scheme is delivered both safely and efficiently the resurfacing works will take place overnight between the hours of 7pm and 5am from Monday 3 February until Tuesday 18 February Access for emergency services will be maintained by the site teams wherever it is possible and safe to do so There will be no access for cyclists or pedestrians over the road surface during the overnight closures but the adjacent footways will remain open The need for these essential safety improvements has been identified through Westmorland and Furness Highway’s proactive safety inspections of their 2,600 mile network The inspection data prioritises sections of road most in need of upgrades based on factors such as any safety risk To maintain safety standards and address immediate need on this stretch of the A591 the Alice Howe resurfacing scheme needs to go ahead now as a priority.  The scheme starting next week is limited to the essential work to ensure the safety of this stretch of road and is separate to the larger highways improvements planned as part of the Windermere Gateway Project The Windermere Gateway highways work – which was approved by the Lake District National Park Authority's Development Control Committee in November - is at least a year away from starting on the ground Windermere Gateway will provide new housing (including affordable housing) and employment opportunities and the associated highways work would involve junction remodelling on the A591 to improve access to the land at Orrest Head Farm Westmorland and Furness Cabinet Member for Highways and ICT said: “This section of the A591 carries millions of vehicles each year making it essential that we act on the findings from our technical assessments to keep our road users safe and moving “While we recognise that more comprehensive work is planned on this stretch of the A591 as part of the Windermere Gateway project it is very important we carry out this resurfacing scheme now to address identified priorities on safety and the condition of the current road surface “The resurfacing has been scheduled overnight during weekdays only to minimise disruption and I’d like to thank road users for their patience and cooperation whilst we deliver this scheme “Our council is fully committed to maintaining a safe and reliable road network and will continue to monitor and address issues as part of our comprehensive highways management strategy “We understand the frustration deteriorating roads cause for our local communities and visitors to the Westmorland and Furness area and our programme is focused on delivering long-lasting improvements that meet their needs.”  •    More information on the Windermere Gateway Project can be found on the Lake District National Park website: Windermere Gateway : Lake District National Park  Only use this form to give us feedback about how the website is working - If you want to tell us about an issue or problem with our services, or you need a response to an issue, please contact us The TimesWindermere recently suffered the worst year since 2020 for illegal sewage spills according to analysis of water company data by campaign groups The charity River Action has started a legal challenge against Ofwat accusing the water regulator of forcing customers to foot the bill for decades of neglect by the water industry after rises in water bills 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 Using data obtained under environmental information regulations the campaigners’ report disclosed that there were 140 days with illegal sewage spills last year from six sites Campaigners blame United Utilities for blighting famous lake with raw effluent • United Utilities refuses to hand over data on sewage discharges into Windermere United Utilities refuses to hand over data on sewage discharges into Windermere nestling in the breathtaking landscape that inspired the tales of childhood favourites Jeremy Fisher and Jemima Puddle-Duck Campaigners say the once clear waters are regularly blighted by raw sewage from a nearby works New figures obtained by the Observer reveal the Near Sawrey plant is alleged to have illegally discharged untreated sewage on 56 days from 2021 to 2023 said: “Beatrix Potter was in awe of this natural landscape If she was alive today she would be campaigning to stop what has become a national disgrace.” Hundreds of fish were reported killed in a pollution incident at Cunsey Beck in June 2022 but the Environment Agency failed to identify a definitive cause in what was later found to be a seriously flawed investigation The charity WildFish reported in September that sewage pollution at Cunsey Beck was causing the stream to deteriorate. It has written to the Environment Agency, urging it to order United Utilities to prevent further damage Windermere is regularly blighted by blue-green algae partly fuelled by discharges of untreated sewage and warmer weather Agricultural and urban runoff also contribute to pollution Blue-green algae on the shores of Windermere More than 140m litres of waste were pumped into Windermere between 2021 and 2023 Photograph: Richard Saker/The ObserverTony Coldwell said he had also visited Annecy after it was transformed by the scheme to prevent sewage discharges “United Utilities has been taking the money for shareholders and not putting it into the lake was shocked at the algae blooms on the water in early November “I’ve never seen it at this time of year like this,” he said “We are basically paying the water company to pollute the lake.” said she went swimming recently and found the lake was covered in algae bloom “I could see the algae swirling around me.” a former professor of computational biology has found that four sewage treatment works and three pumping stations are suspected of breaching permits on 501 days from 2018 to 2023 by discharging raw sewage with the firm citing potential prejudice to ongoing Ofwat and Environment Agency investigations Hammond’s work is criticised by United Utilities for being based on “assumptions” Hammond said: “Ofwat recently cited my analysis extensively in notices for enforcement orders and financial penalties on Thames Water and Yorkshire Water My analysis uses actual water company records and is published online for all to see United Utilities has never published any analysis in rebuttal.” United Utilities has refused to disclose data on phosphorus monitoring at Windermere waste water treatment works and other data from the Near Sawrey plant It is appealing against rulings by the Information Commissioner’s Office to disclose the data Matt Staniek Photograph: Richard Saker/The ObserverResponding to the findings in the latest analysis Staniek said: “This shows the exploitation of England’s largest lake which has been used by United Utilities as an open sewer to dump untreated sewage.” Staniek said he was concerned that treated sewage was as much of a threat as untreated sewage to the ecology of the lake and it was vital that United Utilities provided open access to environmental data United Utilities has announced nearly £200m of funding to improve and protect water quality at Windermere It will improve treatment processes at wastewater plants and invest in improved storm overflows to reduce spills Campaigners believe a more radical solution is required and want an end to all discharges of raw sewage and effluent who has studied successfulenvironmental improvement projects at Lake Annecy and Lake Washington said a piecemeal approach was “doomed to failure” Root said a major infrastructure project to divert sewage flows would be worth the investment “A crystal-clear Windermere would produce enormous long-term benefits,” he said A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “This government will never look the other way while water companies pump record levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas – and that includes the iconic Windermere.” The spokesperson said the government had introduced a water (special measures) bill to strengthen regulation and launched the largest review of the water sector since privatisation. A United Utilities spokesperson said: “We understand people’s concerns about the operation of storm overflows and we are already significantly reducing their use, alongside proposing the largest environmental investment in a century across the north-west over the next five years. “In Windermere, we have so far invested £75m in upgrading wastewater treatment sites and pumping stations and have proposed a further investment of £200m over the next five years to tackle and reduce spills from all storm overflows in the catchment. “We continue to work with all organisations and individuals that impact water quality in the lake to help deliver the step change we all want to see.” The firm said the Near Sawrey works, and another nearby plant, only served 370 people, and both operated in line with environmental permits. Read moreThis is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media.