Harrogate MP warns 'Ofwat must go’ after new info shows Yorkshire Water dumped sewage for 430,263 hours last year

Tom Gordon MP said residents in his constituency were increasingly frustrated as the River Nidd, a cherished local landmark and summer hotspot, continues to be polluted.

The Knaresborough Lido, a popular section of the river that attracts locals and tourists alike, is still rated ‘poor’ for water quality, making it unsafe for swimming just as summer approaches.

The Lib Dem MP forHarrogate and Knaresboroughsaid what made this even more galling was that the news came just a few weeks after Yorkshire Water’s decision to raise water bills by 29%, all the while, he said, ignoring customer complaints and awarding its CEO a £371,000 bonus.

The conclusion, he added, was clear.

Ofwat is "failing to hold water companies accountable, allowing them to dump sewage into waterways while residents bear the cost, not the company.”

Mr Gordon and his Liberal Democrat colleagues are calling on the Government to replace Ofwat with a new, stronger regulator – one with real power to rein in reckless water companies, enforce strict regulations, and end the sewage scandal once and for all.

“Here in Harrogate and Knaresborough, residents are appalled by what’s happening to the River Nidd while facing sky-high water bills, “ said Harrogate’s MP.

“The Government should act now to get a new regulator in place to protect British rivers and seas from being pumped with disgusting sewage. Ofwat must go.

“I and the Liberal Democrats will continue to protect the River Nidd and fight for much tougher regulation of a water industry which is profiting from pollution.”

This year has seen Tom Gordon MP meet with Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency as part of a mission to see rivers such as the Nidd cleaned up.

Although a stretch of the River Nidd at Knaresborough has won Bathing Water Status, Mr Gordon believes the Government needs to go much further and stop sewage being pumped into bathing water sites.