It is not the first time that United Utilities’ pumping station on the edge of Windermere has come under scrutiny.
Earlier this year BBC News reported millions of litres being illegally discharged in one night due to a communications fault and last year BBC Panorama revealed how both United Utilities and the Environment Agency had been downgrading significant pollution incidents to “no impact”.
The Environment Agency said in a statement it had launched a “complex and ongoing” investigation into the sewage discharges from October 2023 onwards that were retrospectively reported by United Utilities, and it was examining further evidence received from the company.
“If any water company is found to be in breach of an environmental permit, the Environment Agency will take the appropriate enforcement action, up to and including a criminal prosecution,” the agency said.
However, the BBC has learned that in the first eight months of the investigation the agency failed to obtain the crucial operational data needed to uncover illegal pollution in 2023 – data which was obtained and analysed by the BBC.
The Environment Agency has now confirmed it has this data. Told about the BBC’s analysis showing that the illegal pollution appears to have occurred for more than two years before the period being investigated, the agency said it will now review the evidence and scope of the criminal investigation.
During the election campaign, the now Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “furious and sickened” to hear the BBC’s earlier revelations about sewage pumped illegally into Windermere and promised “severe and automatic fines that no water companies can ignore”.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said it was “disgusting that somewhere as beautiful as Lake Windermere is swilling with raw sewage” but said the government is already taking action, introducing legislation to ban polluting bosses from receiving bonuses or even send them to prison.
Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat MP, told BBC Radio 4 Today that he was “personally very angry with United Utilities because they have let down the [hospitality and tourism] industries”.
“What we have here is either incompetence or something far worse. And yet, you’ve got the Environment Agency on the one hand and Ofwat on the other, who are not able to make them comply.”
When pressed further on what “something far worse” could mean, Farron responded: “I think this implies the complete failure of regulation in the water industry.
“You’ve got water companies that are so powerful, they can just play the two regulators off against each other.”
United Utilities was recently given permission by Ofwat to raise bills to claim an extra £33.2m in profit as a reward for its 2023 performance, while the Environment Agency awarded the company the top 4* environmental rating earlier this year.