Latest news with #HeidiMottram
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Northumbrian Water to pay £15.7m over network failings
Northumbrian Water has agreed to pay out £15.7m after failures in the maintenance and operations of its sewage and water sector regulator Ofwat said the firm would pay out the "enforcement package" to local environmental causes and improvements to the region's water company's failures led to "excessive spills from storm overflows", the watchdog comes a week after Thames Water was fined a record £122.7m having broken rules over sewage treatment and paying out dividends. Ofwat said the enforcement package for Northumbrian Water was "greater than the penalty which would otherwise have been imposed" if it had fined the also said the package agreed with the company meant it would be spent on local improvements for customers, rather than being directed to the Treasury's consolidated fund. 'Unacceptable' impact Northumbrian Water chief executive Heidi Mottram said: "We agree with Ofwat's announcement that the financial settlement will be directed into speeding up our storm overflow reduction plans and in meaningful local initiatives via our Branch Out fund."This investment, which will come entirely from Northumbrian Water shareholders and will not be paid for by customers' bills, will enhance our ongoing efforts to support local communities and protect and improve the natural environment here in the North East."Lynn Parker, senior director for enforcement at Ofwat, said: "Our investigation has found failures in how Northumbrian Water has operated and maintained some of its sewage works and networks, which has resulted in excessive spills from storm overflows."The contraventions we have found at some of their sites will have had an impact on the local environment and customers and it is unacceptable."She added Ofwat now expected the water company "to move at pace to correct the issues our investigation has identified".Northumbrian Water said in December last year it planned to increase its average water bills by around 21% over the next five years. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Northumbrian Water to pay out £15.7m after sewage and water network failings
Northumbrian Water has agreed to pay out £15.7 million after failures in the maintenance and operations of its sewage and water network. Water sector regulator Ofwat said the firm will pay out the 'enforcement package' to local environmental causes and improvements to the region's water infrastructure. Bosses at the watchdog said its failures led to 'excessive spills from storm overflows'. It comes a week after Thames Water was fined a record £122.7 million after it was found to have broken rules over sewage treatment and paying out dividends. Ofwat said the enforcement package is 'greater than the penalty which would otherwise have been imposed' if it had fined the business. It also said the package agreed with the company means it will be spent on local improvements for customers, rather than being directed to the Treasury's consolidated fund. Northumbrian Water chief executive Heidi Mottram said: 'We agree with Ofwat's announcement that the financial settlement will be directed into speeding up our storm overflow reduction plans and in meaningful local initiatives via our Branch Out fund. 'This investment, which will come entirely from Northumbrian Water shareholders and will not be paid for by customers' bills, will enhance our ongoing efforts to support local communities and protect and improve the natural environment here in the North East.' Lynn Parker, senior director for enforcement at Ofwat, said: 'Our investigation has found failures in how Northumbrian Water has operated and maintained some of its sewage works and networks, which has resulted in excessive spills from storm overflows. 'The contraventions we have found at some of their sites will have had an impact on the local environment and customers and it is unacceptable. 'We are pleased that Northumbrian Water has agreed this package. 'We now expect them to move at pace to correct the issues our investigation has identified. 'We hope more companies will follow this example so that the public sees transformative change across the sector.' Northumbrian Water said in December last year that it plans to increase its average water bills by around 21% over the next five years.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Estimated 945,000 tonnes of sewage pumped into sea
Nearly one million tonnes of raw sewage is estimated to have been released from a pumping station into the North Sea in 2024. Northumbrian Water produced the figure for releases from its site at Whitburn after an Environmental Information Regulation (EIR) request from South Tyneside resident Steve Lavelle. It calculated 944,673 tonnes of sewage had been pumped into the sea, a slight drop from its number for 2023 of 1.007 million tonnes. But the firm said its figure was just an estimate and "it cannot be relied on". When asked about the 2023 estimate, Northumbrian Water CEO Heidi Mottram told a parliamentary committee earlier this month that the figure was "not necessarily accurate" but was "probably not unreasonable". The one million tonne figure was provided by Northumbrian Water in June 2024 following several unsuccessful Environmental Information Regulation (EIR) requests from Mr Lavelle. It was only released after a first-tier tribunal ruled the firm had to provide such figures. The area along the Whitburn coast is part of the Durham special area of conservation. Prof Darren Grocke, a biogeochemist at Durham University, said although the figures for 2024 were lower than 2023 it was still "an enormous of sewage discharge that will certainly have an impact on the coastal and marine environment". Prof Charles Tyler, an environmental biologist at the University of Exeter, said it was "extremely difficult" to assess the impacts of raw sewage on ocean wildlife. "But chemicals that are harmful to wildlife are generally found at much higher concentrations in raw sewage compared to the treated effluents discharged into our rivers," he said. "Against a backdrop of uncertainty, the fact that annually almost a million tonnes of sewage continues to be discharged into the North Sea from Whitburn cannot be good for the health of the ocean in that locality." Northumbrian Water said: "We are working very hard to drive down our reliance on storm overflows across the North East." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Sewage data not accurate, water boss tells MPs Estimated million tonnes of sewage pumped into sea Northumbrian Water
BBC News
21-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Northumbria Water 'released one million tonnes of sewage' to sea
Nearly one million tonnes of raw sewage is estimated to have been released from a pumping station into the North Sea in 2024. Northumbrian Water produced the figure for releases from its site at Whitburn after an Environmental Information Regulation (EIR) request from South Tyneside resident Steve calculated 944,673 tonnes of sewage had been pumped into the sea, a slight drop from its number for 2023 of 1.007 million tonnes. But the firm said its figure was just an estimate and "it cannot be relied on". When asked about the 2023 estimate, Northumbrian Water CEO Heidi Mottram told a parliamentary committee earlier this month that the figure was "not necessarily accurate" but was "probably not unreasonable". The one million tonne figure was provided by Northumbrian Water in June 2024 following several unsuccessful Environmental Information Regulation (EIR) requests from Mr was only released after a first-tier tribunal ruled the firm had to provide such figures. The area along the Whitburn coast is part of the Durham special area of Darren Grocke, a biogeochemist at Durham University, said although the figures for 2024 were lower than 2023 it was still "an enormous of sewage discharge that will certainly have an impact on the coastal and marine environment".Prof Charles Tyler, an environmental biologist at the University of Exeter, said it was "extremely difficult" to assess the impacts of raw sewage on ocean wildlife."But chemicals that are harmful to wildlife are generally found at much higher concentrations in raw sewage compared to the treated effluents discharged into our rivers," he said."Against a backdrop of uncertainty, the fact that annually almost a million tonnes of sewage continues to be discharged into the North Sea from Whitburn cannot be good for the health of the ocean in that locality." Northumbrian Water said: "We are working very hard to drive down our reliance on storm overflows across the North East." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
12-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Northumbrian Water boss tells MPs Whitburn sewage data not accurate
A water firm boss has told MPs information released about a sewage overflow was "not necessarily accurate" because it was not Water's Heidi Mottram was quizzed about data, first reported by the BBC, which estimated a pumping station in Whitburn, South Tyneside, had released one million tonnes of raw sewage in Mottram said the estimate was "probably not unreasonable" but it was "inferred as opposed to being measured".The Environment Agency (EA) has been approached for comment. The one million tonne figure was provided by Northumbrian Water in June 2024 following several unsuccessful Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from resident Steve Lavelle. It was only released after a first-tier tribunal ruled earlier that year the firm had to provide such figures. Ms Mottram, who was speaking at an Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee inquiry into reforming the water sector, said an estimate was given because the resident had asked for information "we wouldn't routinely collect either for our operations or for a regulator".In response, Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael MP, the committee's chair, asked: "When you say inferred, is that another way of saying you don't actually know?"Ms Mottram replied: "We manage the system in a different way using different information than specifically how that customer wanted."She said she believed the true figure was "not as high" as a million tonnes but did not want to "guess" what it actually was. She said she would provide the committee with the "exact number". 'Depends on rainfall' Ms Mottram said the firm was "regulated" on how often an overflow spilled and for how long. The data Mr Lavelle had requested was specifically about how much sewage had actually been pumped into the North Sea."You could calculate what might be happening but it's not necessarily accurate," she told the hearing UK has combined sewage systems which mean rain and sewage share the same pipes. If there is too much rain, sewage treatment works can be overwhelmed. Sewage is spilled into waterways to prevent the system backing up."[It's] about trying to decide how much water might have gone out," she said. "Because of course, sometimes it will be low or high depending on what the rainfall is."The inquiry, which continues on Wednesday, has seen several water bosses quizzed on their companies' financial and environmental performance. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
