Calls to tackle 'heartbreaking' river pollution

Spills from wastewater storm overflows into the River Ouse rose significantly last year, according to government data

Councillors have backed calls to tackle pollution in York's rivers, with a scientist describing the situation as "heartbreaking".

Parliament data showed spills from wastewater storm overflows into the River Ouse in and around York lasted a total of 24,872 hours in 2024, the Local Democracy Service reported, comparing to more than 16,000 hours in 2023.

A motion by City of York Council's Jenny Kent calls for laws mirroring EU pollution rules and a ban on so-called forever chemicals that linger in water systems.

Dr John Wilkinson, of the University of York, told a full council meeting: "The Foss is the most polluted river across Europe for pharmaceutical contaminants - that's heartbreaking."

The motion from Kent, Labour's executive member for environment, was backed on Thursday by a majority of elected members.

It also demands investment in the country's sewage and drainage infrastructure and calls for measures to limit the amount of wastewater being discharged.

Dr Wilkinson added: "Our rivers are a reflection of York and pollution reflects the many pressures of modern life.

"The motion represents a vital step in looking to the future."

York's Liberal Democrats said industry incentives needed to move away from dividends and focus companies on protecting the environment, while the Greens claimed pollution stemmed from abuses of corporate power at the taxpayer's expense.

The Conservatives, meanwhile, said creation of sustainable drainage systems, awareness campaigns and several other measures could be taken locally.

Chris Copland, of the York Friends of the Earth climate action group, said sewage runoff was masking a complex mix of chemicals from farm pesticides, road runoff and packaging going into rivers.

'Transparency essential'

In a statement, Yorkshire Water said: "We recently completed a £180m investment into reducing the operation of our storm overflows, which included a number of projects to reduce discharges into the Ouse and Foss rivers, and we'll be investing a further £1.5bn over the next five years.

"In York specifically, £37m will be spent on upgrading 14 overflows in the city to reduce discharges. A further £378m will be invested across North Yorkshire in storm overflow discharge reduction projects by April 2030."

They added: "As pointed out in the council meeting, river water quality can be impacted by many different sources beyond storm overflow discharges.

"It's important that these are considered by partners and stakeholders to collectively and holistically understand where efforts need to be targeted to improve river quality."

A Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs spokesperson said: "This government is uncovering the true extent of the water system failure we are facing after years of sewage spills and underinvestment.

"Transparency is now essential, and water companies are already required to publish storm overflows data in near real time, to give the public a better picture of local pollution.

"We are driving long-term systemic change in the water industry with £104bn of private investment helping to cut spills and a new, single water regulator holding companies to account."

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