Thursday, July 10, 2025
Teesdale Mercury
  • News
  • Features
  • Test Drive
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Art & Leisure
  • Buy your paper
  • Buy our photos
  • Digital edition
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Features
  • Test Drive
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Art & Leisure
  • Buy your paper
  • Buy our photos
  • Digital edition
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Teesdale Mercury
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT

Water supplier’s £15m pledge to clean up act

by Martin Paul
July 10, 2025
in News
Water supplier’s £15m pledge to clean up act

Cotherstone Water Waste Treatment Works dumped sewage into the River Balder 223 times in 2023 – an average of five spills per week – highlighting serious environmental concerns at the asite.

A recent Ofwat investigation resulted in Northumbrian Water agreeing to a £15.7m ‘enforcement package’.

The investigation followed an Environment Agency report last year which showed the extent of sewage spills into, amongst others, the River Tees and its tributaries.

ADVERTISEMENT

There were also spills from sewage treatment and disposal works at Middleton, Romaldkirk, Barnard Castle, Whorlton, Boldron and Gainford, as well as pumping stations at Startforth and Langton.

There were additional spills into the River Gaunless near Evenwood and Copley.

In its report about the investigation, Ofwat said: “We have identified that a high proportion of Northumbrian Water’s WWTW storm overflows spill regularly into the environment.

ADVERTISEMENT

“For example, 75 per cent of its WWTW storm overflows spilled 20 or more times in 2021; and 47 per cent spilled more than 60 times in that year. Likewise in 2022, 24 per cent of its WWTW storms overflows spilled 60 or more times and 72 per cent spilled 20 or more times.

In 2023, this was 44 per cent spilling more than 60 times and 83 per cent spilling 20 or more times.

“In a number of cases, Northumbrian Water has failed to demonstrate that these spills resulted from exceptional circumstances or that it would have been excessively costly to address spills from these storm overflows.”

Lynn Parker, senior director for enforcement at Ofwat, said: “Our investigation has found failures in how Northumbrian Water has operated and maintained some of its sewage works and networks, which has resulted in excessive spills from storm overflows.

“The contraventions we have found at some of their sites will have had an impact on the local environment and customers and it is unacceptable.”

Ofwat said the “enforcement package” Northumbrian Water agreed to is greater than any penalty that would have been imposed and the cash would be put back into improving the water sector.

Had a penalty been imposed the money would have gone into a consolidated fund operated by HM Treasury

The company said, among others, £2m will be put into a “branch out” fund which will award grants of up to £10,000 for local projects to improve the environment and £2m will be invested into reducing spills at specific overflows.

ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Use it or lose it: Barnard Castle newsagents at risk

ADVERTISEMENT
No Result
View All Result

Stay connected

Facebook Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

Most popular

Green Lane early years team among best in country

Green Lane early years team among best in country

July 7, 2025
Use it or lose it: Barnard Castle newsagents at risk

Use it or lose it: Barnard Castle newsagents at risk

July 9, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

15C Harmire Enterprise Park
Barnard Castle
Co Durham
DL12 8BN

Email: [email protected]

Registered in England as Barrnon Media Limited. No: 12475190

VAT registration number: 343486488

Explore

  • Art & Leisure
  • Business
  • Country Life
  • Features
  • News
  • Sport
  • Test Drive
  • Digital edition

Useful links

  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Buy your paper
  • Photosales
  • Digital edition
  • About us

Follow us on

© Barrnon Media Limited 2025

Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy

This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Features
  • Test Drive
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Art & Leisure
  • Buy your paper
  • Buy our photos
  • Digital edition
  • Contact

© 2024