Yorkshire Water claims huge rise in sewage spillages in the River Nidd in 2023 was 'result of worst storms in years'

After being heavily criticised by Harrogate and Knaresborough over its record on pollution in the Nidd, the utility company also said it was making headway with a £180m programme to reduce discharges across the county.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: “We are committed to improving our region’s rivers and were disappointed about the number of

discharges in 2023.

"This increase is due to the wet weather experienced in the 12-month period, which included 11 named storms.

"The weather experienced in the region in 2023 included a very wet summer and prolonged heavy rainfall towards the end of the year resulting in groundwater infiltration into the sewer network.

“Met Office statistics show 1178mm of rainfall in our area in 2023, the highest level since 2013 and with the second half of the year one of the wettest on record.

"The Met Office named 2023 the 6th wettest year since its records began in 1836.

"Overflows operate during prolonged or heavy rainfall and multiple storms in close succession can lead to increased discharges due to the storm capacity being used up.

“Our teams worked hard throughout 2023 to reduce discharges as part of our commitment to improve the operation of our network.

"As a result, our modelling indicates investment in our network and changes to our operations since 2021 equate to an improvement of 12,980 discharges when normalised against rainfall.

“We know there is more to do but we are making headway with a £180m programme to reduce discharges across the region by April 2025.

"Work is in progress on 62 projects, including some on the river Nidd, that will reduce discharges from some of the most frequently operating overflows.

"This is just the start of a long-term programme to reduce the impact of wastewater on the region’s watercourses.

“We have submitted plans to Ofwat that outline a further £1.19bn investment in overflow reduction between 2025 and 2030.”