Activists 'lack faith' in water firm's new pledge

Northumbrian Water promises to work with the EA to ensure Whitburn meets environmental laws

Campaigners have said they have "little faith" in a water firm's commitment to cut pollution at a seafront.

Northumbrian Water has agreed to pay out £15.7m after failures in the maintenance and operations of its sewage and water network.

As part of this deal, the firm agreed to a "binding commitment" to work with the Environment Agency (EA) to ensure its system at Whitburn, South Tyneside, complied fully with environmental legislation.

Northumbrian Water said it was "working hard" to improve its waste management process.

The BBC previously reported that nearly one million tonnes of raw sewage was estimated to have been released from a pumping station at Whitburn into the North Sea in 2024.

The area along the Whitburn coast is part of the Durham special area of conservation.

That figure was released following an Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) request from South Tyneside resident Steve Lavelle.

Prof Darren Grocke, a biogeochemist at Durham University, told the BBC that this was "an enormous amount of sewage discharge that will certainly have an impact on the coastal and marine environment".

Mr Lavelle said the fact Northumbrian Water had been forced to make such a commitment to the region was a "testament to the perseverance and resilience of campaigners".

But he said he had "little faith" in the firm and worried that the EA did not have the resources to challenge the company.

The EA has been approached for comment.

Northumbrian Water's chief executive Heidi Mottram was quizzed by a select committee earlier this year

In a case brought forward by retired engineer Bob Latimer, in 2012 the European Court of Justice ruled that sewage discharge by Northumbrian Water at Whitburn broke EU water treatment laws.

He said he appreciated Ofwat's latest investigation but that he lacked confidence in the water firm's new commitment to cutting pollution in the region.

Northumbrian Water said it was investing more than £1bn over the next five years to cut the number of spills from storm overflows and to improve "our coasts and rivers".