Knaresborough: Calls for polluted River Nidd to be designated bathing site

Sewage was discharged into the River Nidd hundreds of times last year

A river in North Yorkshire should be designated as a bathing site to improve water quality, campaigners have said.

The Nidd Action Group is calling for a stretch of the River Nidd at Knaresborough to be granted bathing water status.

This would mean the Environment Agency (EA) has to conduct more intensive pollution monitoring to ensure the water is safe for swimming.

Sewage was dumped in the river at least 870 times last year, EA figures show.

David Clayden, of the Nidd Action Group, said "there really is a health risk and a risk to the ecology of the river".

The campaign group has been carrying out regular water quality testing and is planning to submit an application to the government for a section of the Nidd around Knaresborough Lido, a popular swimming spot, to be designated as a bathing site.

North Yorkshire Council and Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, have backed the call.

Mr Clayden, an angler, said "everybody loves this river" and "it looks nice, but pollution isn't always dirty".

"You can have the most crystal clear river that's got nasty chemicals in it, and we don't want that for ourselves or our kids and grandkids," he added.

Yorkshire Water's chief executive this month apologised for sewage being discharged into the region's rivers and promised to invest £180m in reducing leaks from storm overflows.

The firm said it would also spend £50m on improving the water quality of the River Wharfe, a stretch of which in Ilkley became the first in England to be designated a bathing site in 2020.

The designation followed a campaign by local residents who said they had seen "human solid waste" on the Wharfe's banks.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson: "We've met with local groups in relation to applying for bathing water status for the Nidd at Knaresborough and we're supportive of their aims and are keen to play our part in the process."