Action to tackle river pollution wins unanimous support

Elected representatives for communities across North Yorkshire have unanimously endorsed a move to get to grips with pollution in one of the county’s most popular outdoor bathing sites.

A full meeting of North Yorkshire Council saw elected members agree to give campaign group Save our Swale crucial local authority support for a bathing water application to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to cover the River Swale in Richmond.#

If the application is successful it would mean the Swale in Richmond would become the second stretch of river in the county to be tested for pollutants by the Environment Agency through the summer months, following the River Nidd at Knaresborough being granted the status in May.

While the agency would also investigate sources of pollution in the Swale in Richmond and recommend measures to improve water quality, bathing water designation would not mean the water either meets bathing water quality standards or that water is safe for bathers.

The meeting at County Hall in Northallerton came days after a public meeting in Richmond Town Hall heard there was faecal matter, E.coli, nitrates and phosphates in the river and strong support among

Earlier this year, Save Our Swale said it was “appalled, but not surprised”, by the huge increase in untreated sewage being dumped in Yorkshire’s rivers in 2023.

The mid-Swale saw 2,183 sewage dumps, up from 1,342 in 2022.

It has been reported Save Our Swale’s 250-plus tests of the river between Upper Swaledale and Brompton on Swale between last September and April found levels of potentially pathogenic coliform bacteria, such as E. Coli, exceeded the recommended levels in 56 per cet of samples analysed, posing a risk to humans, dogs and livestock.

The meeting approved a notice of motion proposed by Richmond councillor Stuart Parsons which underlined the council believes improving the quality of the Swale will have significant benefits for the environment, public health, recreation and the local economy.

The motion also emphasised that supporting the bathing water application for the River Swale “is in the best interests of both the people of Richmond and of North Yorkshire” and that the river “is an important resource for the people of Richmond and the wider area of North Yorkshire”.

Councillor Stuart Parsons called on authority members to support the move “so we can attempt to get Yorkshire Water to clean up its act”.
Following criticism Yorkshire Water has stated reducing discharges is a priority for the firm, but says “replumbing the whole of Yorkshire is not a quick thing to do as well as being significantly disruptive and costly to customers”.

The firm says alongside its plans to improve Yorkshire’s rivers, it wants to move faster than the government targets and that some £180m would be invested before 2025 to improve the performance of its storm overflows.