Frustration after sewage spills onto sports fields
Coun Whipp says uncontrolled polluting sewage was cascading into Stock Beck for almost a week
A Pendle councillor has accused water company United Utilities of a slow response’ after ‘fountains’ of raw sewage spilled from a broken mains into a stream feeding into the River Ribble and impacted sports pitches in Barnoldswick.
Councillor David Whipp says he will raise questions about the incident at Stocks Beck, the current sewage system for the town of Barnoldswick and water industry investment in new infrastructure at Pendle Council’s West Craven committee.
"Uncontrolled polluting sewage"
Speaking before the council meeting, Coun Whipp said “Uncontrolled polluting sewage was cascading into Stock Beck for almost a week recently and United Utilities were slow to respond.
"Only after I reported the incident to the Environment Agency did United Utilities take effective action to contain the sewage spill.
“The broken sewer resulted in huge quantities of raw sewage spilling into the River Ribble. and Barnoldswick’s football and cricket pitches have been repeatedly covered in effluent.”
He added: “The problem began on Saturday, August 23, when a resident spotted sewage leaking into a stream where the sewer pipe is located above ground, close to United Utilities’ treatment works.
"Then on the Sunday, I saw contractors working on the sewer and assumed the problem had been fixed.
“But I was horrified when I was called to the site on the Wednesday to find massive amounts of black sewage spewing out over the adjacent football pitch and into the stream from the broken sewer.
“Even worse was the following day, when sewage was fountaining two metres into the air following a heavy rain shower. As well as the football pitch, the cricket ground and a training area were badly affected by sewage flooding over the land and into the stream.
“It took almost a week and three reports to the Environment Agency before United Utilities successfully contained the sewage spill, with a fleet of over a dozen tankers on stand-by. But permanent repairs have yet to be carried out. There are question marks over the integrity of the sewer which serves most of Barnoldswick.”
He claimed: “United Utilities’ initial response was a disgrace. Uncounted thousands of cubic metres of untreated sewage has gone into the River Ribble. Sports clubs have been badly affected. I’m demanding answers from United Utilities, not only about short-term repairs, but their plans to renew the ageing sewer system and prevent horrific incidents like this in future.”
"complexity of the damage"
In response, a United Utilities spokesperson said: “Our teams quickly responded to reports of a burst sewer last weekend and installed a temporary solution until the full repair could be carried out.
"Due to the complexity of the damage and heavier rain than anticipated, we increased our operational response to ensure no further spills to the environment occurred.
"Despite persistent heavy rainfall, our teams have kept up with the flows using a fleet of tankers, pumps and tanks.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused. And we continue to work closely with both the cricket and football clubs to ensure that, once our repair is complete, we make-good their facilities.”