Water bosses criticised for river pollution levels

A councillor said the Ouseburn was facing an "environmental crisis"

Water bosses have been accused of a "shocking disregard for environmental standards" over pollution levels in a river.

Newcastle's Liberal Democrat councillors took aim at Northumbrian Water over a "failure of corporate responsibility and environmental management" of the Ouseburn.

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.

A spokesperson for Northumbrian Water said the firm was "upgrading" its wastewater systems.

According to data from The Rivers Trust, the number of hours of sewage spills from storm overflows in Newcastle in 2023 was 9,607, more than double the previous year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

North Jesmond councillor James Coles told a Newcastle City Council meeting the Ouseburn was facing an "environmental crisis" as a result of untreated human waste and other pollutants being dumped into it.

Mr Coles put forward a motion demanding "immediate corrective action" from Northumbrian Water, for the government to hold the water company "accountable for past and ongoing pollution", and for a new river action taskforce to be established in the city.

The council's ruling Labour group voted to amend the Lib Dems' motion, pledging instead to "raise this matter with Northumbria Water and other partners" and to ask the Government to take action at a national level.

Northumbrian Water said the company had the lowest levels of storm overflow spills in the country and no serious pollution incidents since 2021.

But it added it had recently launched a £20m project called Smart Sewers which would aim to reduce spills by 80% in the Tyneside area where it was being trialled.

A spokesman said the company would have invested more than £80m into "upgrading" its wastewater system by 2025 with plans to invest a further £1.7bn to "stop storm overflow spills and help improve our local environment".