Harrogate Lib Dem's anger at sewage dumping in the River Nidd revealed in latest figures by The Environment Agency

The sewage discharged by Yorkshire Water lasted 6,177 hours.

Dacre sewage pumping station alone saw 87 spills and 1014 hours of sewage discharged.

The Government allows water companies to discharge raw sewage into rivers, lakes and coastlines following a storm.

This includes sewage being pumped into bathing water areas and wildlife habitats.

Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Tom Gordon is calling for a ban on sewage discharges in protected waters, as well as a ban on water company executives being paid multi-million pound bonuses.

The Environment Agency data released today, Friday, March 31 has revealed raw sewage was spilled into English rivers 824 times a day last year – despite the fact there was barely any rainfall and most of the country was in drought.

Tom Gordon said: “These figures are a damning verdict on the Government’s efforts to stop Yorkshire Water from dumping sewage into our waterways.

“Local people are furious that our swimming locations and wildlife habitats have become poisoned with raw sewage.

"The Conservative Government just doesn't seem to care.

“It is time Ministers got tough with Yorkshire Water.

"They are raking in massive profits all whilst undermining the environment.

“This is a problem that can only be solved by tougher rules in Parliament, we need an MP who will stand up and vote for tougher rules on water companies.

"I know local communities across the area are demanding actio n over this scandal.

"But it shouldn’t be left to the community to clean up this Government’s mess.

"I will stand up and fight to save the River Nidd and our other local waterways.”

The Liberal Democrats in Parliament recently revealed water companies breached their sewage permits over 500 times last year, double compared to the previous year.

Conservative MPs, including Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, have voted against a ban on sewage discharges.

Mr Jones is currently leading the campaign to get Bathing Water Status for the Nidd to tackle pollution.