Raw sewage was pumped into the lake for nearly 10 hours in February after a telecommunication failure at a pumping station operated by United Utilities, a major water and wastewater services provider in the North West.
The discharge happened at the company’s pumping station at Bowness-on-Windermere in Cumbria on the night of 28 February and intermittently the following day.
The emergency pumps discharged more than 10 million litres of raw sewage into the lake after the main pumps abruptly stopped due to a telecom fault, insiders at the firm told BBC News, whose report also cited internal documents from the company.
Windermere, a Unesco world heritage site, is one of the country’s most popular natural attractions.
The incident was not reported to the Environment Agency until around 13 hours later. Failure to promptly notify the agency about such an incident constitutes a criminal offence.
United Utilities said in a statement to The Independent that it took “urgent steps to resolve the issue” and said it informed the Environment Agency within an hour after pollution of the lake was confirmed.
Esta historia es de la edición May 16, 2024 de The Independent.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición May 16, 2024 de The Independent.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
England Warm Up For T20s With Victory Over Pakistan
England might well be underprepared for the T20 World Cup, but they cruised to a comfortable victory in their final match before the tournament against Pakistan.
Football's The Loser In Brave New World Carved By Perez
Florentino Perez couldn’t have it any other way. On Monday, after a Spanish court gave the latest ruling on the Super League case, those in the Real Madrid president’s circle were very quick to insist to everyone that the judgment actually represented a victory for the project.
Gaza War Waged At Election Time Is Biden's Nightmare
Israeli tanks and armoured cars have been seen near al-Awda mosque in the centre of Rafah, while 45 people were killed in a strike at a camp in the east of the city.
How Much Does Scotland Matter To Labour's Chances?
Obviously, there’s been much coverage of the prospective big loser in the general election being the Conservative Party, which is still stuck around 20 percentage points behind Labour in the polls.
Israel Steps Up Rafah Assault As War Cabinet Splits Deepen
Party led by Benny Gantz has proposed a bill calling for the Israeli parliament to be dissolved, reports Chris Stevenson
Labour Will Kickstart Clean Energy Plan 'Within Months'
Labour is pledging it will get working within months of election victory to build clean power that will “turn the page” on the cost of living crisis.
No Reason Why Abbott Can't Stand For Labour - Rayner
Deputy leader defies Starmer as row knocks his campaign
Ukraine Allowed To Hit Parts Of Russia With US Weapons
President Joe Biden has given Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, according to three US officials familiar with the matter.
Trump Guilty On All Charges In Historic Hush-Money Trial
Donald Trump is the first former or serving US president to be convicted of a crime. From Alex Woodward in New York
What Does Sunak's Burst Of Activity Say About The Timing Of The General Election?
Rishi Sunak has launched a campaign to shore up the Conservative vote in next week’s local elections and his own position among his fractious backbenchers.
