Over 140 million litres of sewage illegally dumped into Windermere
Once again, we find ourselves involved in uncovering United Utilities (UU) illegal dumping of sewage into Windermere—this time, it’s truly shocking. Through our investigations using Environmental Information Regulations (EIR), we have helped expose that Glebe Road Pumping Station (GRPS) ILLEGALLY dumped a reported 143,000,000 litres of untreated sewage into England’s largest lake over just three years.
Before we go any further, here’s our immediate ask of you. Email the Prime Minister now and demand decisive action to end sewage pollution in Windermere once and for all.
The Investigation
As reported by the BBC, this wasn’t just a one-off. This is multiple instances of illegal spilling over several years. The initial evidence we exposed showed that UU had self-reported intermittent illegal spilling at the site between 6th October 2023 and 25th January 2024, and then again on 15 February 2024—the Environment Agency (EA) stated within the Compliance Assessment Report (CAR) obtained by Save Windermere, that the total volume in this period, which included both legal and illegally spilling, equated to to 54.6 million litres. The site once again spilt illegally from 28th to 29th February 2024, when another 6.4 million litres of untreated sewage was dumped (the BBC reported on that here). Immediately, we were concerned - the EA was investigating what looked to be 60 million litres of sewage being dumped into the lake in just 4 months – but things quickly got far worse.
We subsequently obtained Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) and flow data for the site from 2021–2023, which helped reveal the full scale of this scandal.
According to its EA permit, Glebe Road Pumping Station must be passing forward 245 litres per second to the sewage works before any overflow into the lake is allowed. If the site is passing forward less than that and at the same time is spilling into the lake, this is classified as an illegal spill. By cross-referencing the flow data (i.e. how much sewage was being passed to the treatment works) with the EDM logs (i.e. how long the pumping station was discharging into the lake), the BBC determined that UU had breached its permit limits repeatedly since 2021.
Once instances of illegal spilling were identified, the BBC determined volumes of sewage discharged by using the known capacity of the pumps which discharge into the lake. Glebe Road has two active pumps but, giving UU the benefit of the doubt, the calculation assumed only one of these pumps was active. Still, this put the minimum volume of illegal spills at a staggering 143 million litres—potentially as high as 286 million litres if both pumps were working.
And it doesn’t end there. When all spilling events (both legal and illegal) from GRPS were included, over the last three years the total amount of untreated sewage dumped into the lake ranged from 444 million to 888 million litres. That means around a third of the spills from Glebe Road were illegal. This isn’t just an environmental disaster—it’s an industrial-scale dumping operation.
And here’s the real kicker… Had these pollution events been reported when they occurred, the BBC estimates there could have been an additional 24 incidents, potentially costing the company £2.5 million through lower rewards or greater penalties. We believe UU, which has been rated as a 4* industry leader, should face serious questions from OFWAT about the accuracy and legitimacy of its rating in light of these findings.
Despite the scale of these spills, UU continues to dodge accountability, prioritising cost savings over the protection of our environment.
Our Concerns
Between October 2023 and February 2024, UU attributed the illegal spills at GRPS to a mechanical failure at Windermere Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW). However, today’s report reveals that this problem has been ongoing for years, suggesting a much deeper, systemic issue.
We have five main points of concern:
Capacity Failures: UU’s proposal to increase capacity at Windermere Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) and the pumping station suggests that these spills could be due to a long-standing capacity issue that should have been addressed in previous investment cycles—not just a mechanical fault. This raises questions about whether customers have been overcharged for past upgrades and whether proposed investments are simply paying to fix past mismanagement.
Delayed Reporting: According to the BBC, United Utilities claims they reported these incidents as soon as they were aware, which suggests they simply didn’t know about the instances of illegality from 2021 to September 2023, despite it being their statutory obligation to show permit compliance. It’s hard to believe that UU ‘missed’ three years of repeated illegal spilling. Given that Windermere WwTW is touted by UU as a cutting-edge facility, collecting extensive real-time data, we think this level of negligence is unjustifiable. Since the BBC began investigating these illegal discharges, UU has now reportedly submitted these incidents to the Environment Agency.
Lack of Transparency: The true scale of illegal activity at this site could be far worse than reported. Our ability to independently scrutinise UU’s actions is being severely hampered by a lack of transparency and access to data that would allow for thorough, independent analysis. UU’s refusal to release key data—like whether one or two pumps were active during spills—undermines our ability to accurately assess the environmental damage being done. Nor do we think the regulator is even requesting the appropriate data from UU, let alone analysing it. Speaking of the regulator…
Legality of EA Permits: The Environment Agency permits allow spilling at this site during rainfall and snowmelt, which may breach the 1994 Urban Wastewater Directive. If a permit itself contradicts the law, both the spills and the permit are illegal. OFWAT has made it clear that sewage discharges should only occur in exceptional weather, making the EA’s choice not to include this in the permit totally outrageous.
EA’s Regulatory Failure: To put it very simply; this should be the job of the EA. The EA’s failure to monitor and enforce regulations at this site is more than a resource issue—it’s systemic neglect. The leadership at the EA has failed – despite evidence of illegal spills, there’s been no meaningful action. We suspect deliberate decisions not to scrutinise UU, and we fear potential collusion between the regulator and the company it’s supposed to regulate.
Our Demands
Intervention from Keir Starmer: Last time sewage was illegally dumped in Windermere, Keir Starmer stated there would be “no more slaps on the wrists, no more profiteering from pollution, and no more turning a blind eye.” Now, we’re calling on the Prime Minister to back up those words with a law that ends sewage pollution in Windermere once and for all.
Halt Dividend Payments: This illegal spilling is a clear violation of the Water Industry Act 1991 (WIA). As such, the government should halt UU’s dividend payments until a full investigation is complete. One way to enforce this would be to take UU into Special Administration—something the government has the power to do under the WIA.
Removal of EA Board: The Secretary of State, Steve Reed, must act now and remove the Environment Agency’s board. The EA’s repeated failure to scrutinise UU and enforce regulations points to institutional corruption and poor leadership from the top. Assessing non-complaint spilling is well within the organisations remit and funding, yet they have systemically failed to ensure the stringent regulation of the water industry.
Mandatory Flow Monitoring: All sewage outfalls must have flow monitoring to accurately measure the volume of discharges, as outlined in our 10-point plan for a sewage-free Windermere. Currently, this isn’t a requirement and data on spill volumes is either not collected or withheld. The scale of UU’s discharges and their environmental impact can only be understood if flow data is made a statutory requirement.
Investment Based on Impact, Not Spills: OFWAT currently bases investment decisions on the number of spills, which does not accurately reflect environmental damage or the effectiveness of interventions. Research by Professor Peter Hammond has shown that the current method—using Event Duration Monitors (EDMs)—is highly unreliable and prone to producing false positives or negatives. This undermines previous government claims that all overflows are now effectively monitored, as up to 50% of this data may be inaccurate. EDMs only record the duration of a spill, without capturing the volume or environmental impact. Investment criteria must shift from focusing on spill frequency to measuring total discharge volumes as it’s entirely possible to reduce the number of spill events while maintaining or even increasing the overall volume of untreated sewage being released into the environment.
Claw Back Misused Investments: The ongoing illegality at this site raises serious questions about the effectiveness of past investments and who should foot the bill for future spending. Between 2015-2020 (AMP 6), and with the upcoming 2025-2030 cycle (AMP 8), investments have clearly failed to ensure compliance with permits or meet the spill frequency targets suggested publicly by UU. OFWAT should reclaim funding for these projects as ongoing breaches have been exposed. If a site cannot meet basic legal requirements, this investment should never have fallen on the bill-payer. OFWAT has confirmed:
"The outcomes from previous enhancement expenditure, such as spill frequency targets, have been achieved. We are including a condition to claw back funding in PR29 if these conditions cannot be demonstrated."
Further investment cannot be funded by the bill-payer while these violations persist.
Prosecute UU Directors: Labour is calling for water company bosses to be held ‘criminally accountable’ for their actions, but the reality is that the Environment Agency (EA) already has the power to do so. By September 2022, the EA had successfully used these powers 72 times to recover profits from illegal land-based waste activities and have even seized assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002 for waste companies. Yet, despite the striking similarity of the offences—and at least two Crown Court judges highlighting the role of senior management in serious water pollution cases—no water company executive has ever been prosecuted, and not a single POCA order has been issued against water companies (as confirmed in a 2022 FOI). This double standard is unacceptable. We think Labour should leverage the powers already in place to hold UU executives accountable for corporate decisions that damage our environment.
Take Action
We're only just beginning to uncover the reasons why Windermere has been consistently failed and left vulnerable to sewage pollution and corporate exploitation. More is coming soon, but one thing is clear: this must stop. Windermere deserves real, lasting protection, not more excuses and empty promises. You can help by emailing Keir Starmer and demanding decisive action to end sewage pollution in Windermere for good. This fight isn't over, but with your support, we can increase the pressure and ensure Windermere gets the protection it deserves.
Stay tuned—there’s more to come.
