Yorkshire Water apologises for sewage discharges in region's rivers and seas

Yorkshire Water has apologised over high levels of sewage being discharged into the county's rivers and seas.

Chief executive Nicola Shaw admitted the company had not done enough to tackle storm overflows, which release raw sewage into rivers at times of high rainfall.

It comes after the Environment Agency revealed earlier this year that three of the worst rivers for raw sewage in England and Wales were in Yorkshire.

Ms Shaw, who has been in the post since May last year, said: "On behalf of Yorkshire Water, I am sorry.

"I get why people are angry; seeing sewage in our rivers and seas isn't right.

"We should have acted more quickly to change the situation."

The apology comes just weeks after Ms Shaw declined to accept a bonus of between £600,000 and £800,000 due to public criticism of the service.

Yorkshire Water plans to invest £180m by March 2025 to build more capacity to store waste water.

In the letter, Ms Shaw wrote: "We should have a system that befits the 21st Century.

"That's why I have decided to refuse any bonus this year as I want us to make progress.

"And we do now have a plan - and indeed we are already taking action to improve Yorkshire's rivers and coastal waters".

The Environment Agency said last year that water quality in the region required "significant improvement", noting the River Wharfe and the River Calder in particular.

The Aire, the Calder and the Ouse all featured in the top 10 most polluted rivers, with Yorkshire Water pumping sewage directly into them on more than 10,000 occasions in 2021.

After being granted bathing status in Ilkley in 2021, last year the Environment Agency said swimming in the Wharfe was "not advised", as the water quality is too poor due to sewage from storm overflows and runoff from livestock farms.

Ms Shaw said: "We were too slow here as well, but in March this year we started tunnelling for an underground sewer to double the capacity of our sewage system in the town.

"This is a big project and will alone cost £15m, and we'll have this in place by the end of the year."

Mark Burrow, who films water pollution under the name Beneath British Waters, said: "If it wasn't down to public pressure and the campaign groups and various individuals across Yorkshire, we wouldn't be having this conversation now.

"It would have been business as usual for Yorkshire Water - discharging sewage into the rivers."

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