The Times: Steve Coogan, ‘Windermere is nursing a sewage timebomb’
“Steve Coogan has accused a water company of creating a “timebomb” in Windermere by dumping untreated sewage in the lake’s catchment.
The comedian joined a protest on Sunday at England’s largest lake against what he said was inaction by Tories, Labour and United Utilities, which serves northwest England.
“If England can’t clean up its crowning glory, then what hope is there?” said the actor, who filmed much of the first series of The Trip in the Lake District with his fellow comedian Rob Brydon.
Coogan is supporting Matt Staniek, 28, a zoologist who is staging his 24th week of a “sewage strike” outside a United Utilities information centre at Windermere.
“United Utilities are engaged in a sort of PR exercise … but they’re not really doing anything to tackle the problem,” Coogan said.
He said the problem was “systemic and endemic” because the company prioritised its shareholders over its customers. “People are entitled to expect United Utilities to deliver a good service, and putting sewage into the lake is not providing a good service.”
United Utilities was the worst water company for sewage spills last year, accounting for almost 100,000, partly owing to its high number of storm overflow outlets.
Coogan said the result was a “timebomb” of pollution at the bottom of Windermere. Nutrient pollution from sewage discharges and other sources has been linked to several toxic algal blooms in recent years that have turned the lake green, and which are now being tracked by satellites.
“This is not just an environmental issue, it’s not a fringe issue,” Coogan said. “Ordinary people use these lakes who can’t afford to go on expensive holidays. It’s what the public deserve and are entitled to.”
Last week the Undertones singer and water campaigner Feargal Sharkey attacked United Utilities for “poisoning” the lake out of “corporate greed”. The comedians Joe Lycett, Lee Mack and Paul Whitehouse, who warned rivers face a “tipping point”, are also supporting the campaign.”
