Legal action urged over river's pollution

A water company should face the threat of legal action over sewage in a river, campaigners have claimed.

Tests by Newcastle University in 2023 showed evidence of pollution in the Ouseburn in Newcastle.

A petition has been launched by the Liberal Democrat group of Newcastle City Council, claiming Northumbrian Water is to blame and must be pressured to act.

Northumbrian Water, which has committed to spending £14.5m on storm overflows over the next five years, said it would meet councillors to discuss planned improvements.

Research published last year warned pollution levels in the river, which runs across the city and into the Tyne, posed a "significant risk" to people's health.

Lib Dem Peter Allen, North Jesmond councillor, said: "Northumbrian Water is the body responsible for sewage ending up in the river.

"We'd like to see Newcastle City Council threaten to take action to encourage them to come to the table and really take some positive action to get rid of the sewage out of our river."

The Labour-led council has previously said it would raise matters with the water firm and "other partners", as well as asking the government to take action at a national level.

Last year, the charity the Reece Foundation, which supports projects across the region, set up The Ouse Burn Way, an initiative to clean up the river.

Chair Anne Reece said: "More and more people are signing up to the vision and trying to help us, putting pressure on the authorities that have the ability to actually change things."

In a statement, Northumbrian Water added it had also committed to spending £2m in the wider Ouseburn area between 2030 and 2035.

"We all share a passion for a healthy Ouseburn," it said.

It said it had also "enhanced the local environment by providing funding for nature-based projects at Parish Ponds, Upper Steenberg’s Yard, Ouseburn and Gosforth Nature Reserve".

"Working together, we're confident in being able to drive real positive environmental changes for the local area," it added.

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