Campaign for river to achieve bathing status

The site near Richmond Falls is already enjoyed by a number of bathers

A community group has called for improved water quality at a popular swimming spot in North Yorkshire.

Bathers have visited the River Swale at Richmond Falls for "decades", according to campaigners, but it has been polluted by several sewage spills from storm overflows.

Volunteers from Save Our Swale are submitting an application to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for a 50m stretch of the river to receive designated bathing status.

If granted, the Environment Agency would be required to carry out water testing for harmful bacteria during the bathing season.

The campaign, which began at a public meeting in 2023, has been backed unanimously by North Yorkshire councillors.

"It's not about creating a new site, it's about getting designation for a site that's already really popular," Save Our Swale chair Deborah Meara said.

"This particular stretch of the river has been used for decades where people have come to enjoy the surroundings and the beauty of it. They should be able to do that in the 21st Century in clean water."

The site is vulnerable to sewage spills due to storm overflows in the area

The site, which can be accessed by a pebble beach near Richmond Falls, is vulnerable to sewage spills from a storm overflow on Riverside Road, according to the group.

In 2024, this sewer storm overflow spilled 62 times for a total of 186.73 hours.

"If we get bathing water status for this area, it won't be an immediate guarantee that the river's pollution-free, but it is a first step towards improving water quality and holding polluters to account," Ms Meara added.

However, Yorkshire Water confirmed such discharges had been reduced by 12% in 2024.

"Storm overflows act as a relief valve for the combined sewer network during periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall, to prevent the network reaching capacity and backing up into people's homes or gardens," a spokesperson said.

"Despite this, storm overflow discharges are not what we or our customers want to see, and we're working hard to reduce the frequency and duration of them."

As well as a £180m investment into reducing the operation of storm overflows, the company said projects were underway in Richmond at storm overflows on Reeth Road, Riverside Road and The Batts CSO.

Parts of the Richmond treatment works that are no longer in use would also be repurposed as storage for excess flows of wastewater, collecting up to 183,000 litres.

"Over the next five years we will be investing a further £1.5bn to continue reducing storm discharges, which includes £378m in North Yorkshire specifically," the spokesperson added.

Save Our Swale plans to submit their application before the deadline on 31 October and encouraged people to have their say in the consultation.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.