Sewage dumped in river for three weeks running

Untreated sewage has been continuously discharged into a river for more than three weeks, figures show.

A storm overflow in Cark, near the Lake District in Cumbria, has been discharging into the River Eea since 28 August, United Utilities data revealed.

The water company said its £1.5m project to double the sewage treatment capacity of the site was due to come online next month.

Cark resident Rhona Barton said the overflow had been a problem for 20 years.

United Utilities said an "unusually high water table" in the area meant "groundwater and rainfalls" could affect the sewer system in the area.

The overflow was the water firm's worst performing last year in terms of the total hours spent spilling, according to Environment Agency (EA) figures.

It spilled raw sewage into the River Eea 281 times in 2023 for a total of 6,472 hours.

The EA said it anticipated that United Utilities' investment would reduce the amount of spilling at the site.

Water companies can release untreated sewage into rivers and seas when it rains to prevent floods, but such spills are potentially illegal when it's dry.

Ms Barton said she had lived in the village for 33 years and had seen the number of eels in the river drop with time.

But she added that fish seemed to be making a comeback and was hopeful the water firm could finally cut down on the amount of sewage it released into the river in Cark.

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