Worry about quality of Launceston's drinking water

Bill Perry is worried that drinking water will have "traces of sewage" in it

There are worries that sewage will end up in a reservoir that provides drinking water to Launceston.

South West Water has a licence to pump water from the River Tamar in Gatherley to help fill Roadford Reservoir.

Nearby sewage works had 82 significant spills in 2022, leaving a local farmer worried that drinking water will have "traces of sewage" in it.

The water firm said tests would ensure that water entering Roadford meets "stringent" standards.

The Environment Agency (EA) issued the 28-day abstraction licence to abstract up to 30m litres a day.

The temporary licence for the water abstraction at Gatherley was granted by the Environment Agency

It said it considered the risk to water quality in Roadford and concluded it did not pose a risk of deterioration to the reservoir.

St Leonards Sewage Works, two miles above the abstraction site, recorded 82 sewage spills into the Tamar which lasted more than 1,500 hours in 2022, according to EA data.

Bill Perry, who farms land next to the river at Gatherley, said: "When they get a spill you can smell it down here in the water, so it does come down this far.

"My worry is they'll be pumping this into Roadford Reservoir which is your drinking water, which will have traces of sewage in it."

Andy Reeve says that faeces, phosphates and sediment come down the river

Andy Reeve, who owns an equestrian centre near the sewage works, said that faeces, phosphates and sediment come down the river.

SWW said its aim was to improve water resilience.

It said the temporary pipeline was capable of providing up to 10% of the reservoir's capacity over the winter.

A spokesperson said: "Real-time testing will be carried out to ensure that the water entering Roadford meets stringent water quality standards.

"Works will automatically stop should any elevated pollutants be detected."