Latest news with #NicolaShaw
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Humber records more than 400 sewage spills in year
Sewage was discharged into the Humber for the equivalent of more than 200 days in 2024, according to data from the Rivers Trust. The total number of sewage spills into waterways across England and Wales were down slightly from 2023, the figures showed. A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said the discharges were happening more than they would like, but said they were making progress on "reducing storm overflow activity" in the region. Water companies are allowed to spill sewage into waterways during heavy rainfall in order to prevent overflows and flooding. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the figures for sewage spills into the Humber were 474 in 2024: Hull Waste Water Treatment Works had 194 spills in 2024 lasting a total of 2,499 hours (the equivalent of 104 days) Melton works had 154 spills lasting a total of 1,868 hours (the equivalent of 78 days) North Ferriby works had 126 spills lasting a total of 669 hours (the equivalent of 28 days) Yorkshire Water said it had invested £3.4m to upgrade storm overflows in Brough and North Ferriby to reduce discharges into the River Humber. The upgrades there were part of the firm's £180m investment in the wider region. Nicola Shaw, CEO of Yorkshire Water, said: "We know overflows are operating more than we, or our customers, would like, but we're pleased to begin to show progress on reducing storm overflow activity in our region. "The reductions in discharges in 2024 resulted from both a drier year than 2023 and the hard work of our teams to deliver our £180m investment programme." In total, there were 563,730 spills across England and Wales in 2024, according to the figures from the Rivers Trust, which is an average of 1,544 a day. That figure is down slightly from 1,588 per day in 2023. The environment secretary, Steve Reed, said the figures were "disgraceful" and were as a result of years of underinvestment. "We've already placed water companies under tough special measures through the landmark Water Act, banning unfair bonuses for polluting water bosses and introducing criminal charges for lawbreakers," he said. "But we will go further and faster. That's why this government has secured over £100bn of private sector investment to upgrade our crumbling infrastructure and not only clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good, but also help deliver economic growth across the country as part of our Plan for Change." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Water works upgrade to reduce storm sewage spills Water firm announces investment to cut discharges Sewage discharges spark coastal pollution alerts Local Democracy Reporting Service
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Water firm to pay £40m over 'serious failures'
Yorkshire Water has been ordered to pay £40m to address its "serious failures" over wastewater and sewage. An investigation by regulator Ofwat found that on average the firm discharged untreated wastewater into the region's rivers for seven hours a day in 2023, with almost half its storm overflows found to be in breach of regulations. The cost of the enforcement package would not be passed on to Yorkshire Water's customers and instead it would be paid for by the company and its shareholders, Ofwat said. Yorkshire Water apologised for its failings and said it had taken active steps to remedy the issues, but chief executive Nicola Shaw said there was "still more for us to do". Ofwat's investigation, which began in 2021, found the firm had failed to adequately invest in and maintain its networks. In its conclusion published on Thursday, it said Yorkshire Water had significantly breached its legal obligations, which had caused an "unacceptable impact" on the environment and customers. Ofwat's senior director for enforcement, Lynn Parker, said: "Our investigation has found serious failures in how Yorkshire Water has operated and maintained its sewage works and networks, which has resulted in excessive spills from storm overflows." Ms Parker said Yorkshire Water had recognised this failure and was taking steps to "put it right". "They deserve credit for stepping up and agreeing an enforcement package with us that will help get things back on track as soon as possible," she added. Ofwat said Yorkshire Water had been ordered to pay £36.6m during 2025-30 to prioritise work on some of the most problematic storm overflows in environmentally sensitive areas to ensure they spill less than 20 times a year. It would also be expected to pay £3.4m to the Great Yorkshire Rivers Partnership, which would be used to clear artificial barriers in rivers, improve water quality and promote biodiversity. Yorkshire Water's chief executive, Nicola Shaw, said the firm had already completed work at 70 storm overflows and was due to start a £1.5bn programme to reduce discharges even further over the next five years. She said: "We know there's still more for us to do. "We apologise for our past mistakes and hope this redress package goes some way to show our commitment to improving the environment." A spokesperson for The Great Yorkshire Rivers Partnership said: "We welcome the additional funding. "By reinvesting this money in Yorkshire, even more projects will be delivered by Great Yorkshire Rivers partners across the county to support the recovery of our native fish species." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Yorkshire Water facing £47m fine over sewage leaks Yorkshire Water Ofwat
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Burst pipe left people without water for 18 hours
Yorkshire Water has said it will carry out an internal review after dozens of people were left without supplies for up to 18 hours following a burst water main. The incident happened on the A161 Crowle Road overbridge, which takes traffic across the M180 in North Lincolnshire, on 15 February. It affected those in the DN9 and DN17 postcodes, including the villages of Crowle, Epworth and Eastoft. Some customers have criticised the company for not helping them properly and being left without water. During a parliamentary committee meeting on Tuesday, Yorkshire Water's chief executive Nicola Shaw admitted customers were "dissatisfied", as the company apologised in a statement for the incident. David Lane, who lives in Eastoft, said he was taking a shower when supply ceased. He said: "Suddenly there was no water and it [remained like that] for a good 18 hours." He later contacted Yorkshire Water, which had assured him there would be "a water tanker" arriving in the village by 18:00 GMT. However, the emergency supply never arrived and instead, water bottles had been delivered to the neighbouring villages of Luddington and Crowle, bypassing his hamlet, he said. Mr Lane said he gave up chasing the water company by phone because of a "30-minute wait" time. Paul Fillingham, a parish councillor in Eastoft, said he had rallied around the village trying to help those in desperate need of water, "which didn't materialise". "[Yorkshire Water] went through the village with an artic load of water and dropped it at the next village," he said. He said while some of those who were vulnerable had received bottles of water, many others were left without. Another Eastoft resident, Sue Healy, said there had been "a lack of information" to keep customers informed about the incident. "I received four text messages the day after, but nothing on the day it actually happened," she said. In a statement, Yorkshire Water apologised "for any inconvenience caused" by the burst water main and for not updating some customers. However, it said: "The location over the M180 motorway made it more complex than usual to complete a quick repair." The company said it delivered bottled water to 211 vulnerable customers. But could only set up stations "in areas where it is safe to do so and there is space to host the bottled water", and as a result, was "unable to set up bottled water [distribution] in Eastoft". A spokesperson said: "We have spoken with local councillors today to understand their concerns and we will be conducting an internal review to identify any areas for improvement." Speaking to MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee earlier, Ms Shaw said: "We want to achieve a thriving Yorkshire, which is doing the right thing for our customers and for the environment. "We know we are not doing that at the moment." She admitted the company's performance was "not good enough". "The public is obviously dissatisfied and rightly so," she said. Earlier this month, Yorkshire Water apologised after a leaking pipe resulted in a road closure and left hundreds of properties in Goole without supply. When quizzed by MPs why the company only supplied bottled water to 44 of the 600 homes affected, Ms Shaw said they believed "there was still supply". "I think in retrospect that was the wrong decision," she added. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Road closed as water company deals with pipe leak Yorkshire Water
BBC News
25-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Burst pipe left Eastoft villagers without water for 18 hours
Yorkshire Water has said it will carry out an internal review after dozens of people were left without supplies for up to 18 hours following a burst water incident happened on the A161 Crowle Road overbridge, which takes traffic across the M180 in North Lincolnshire, on 15 February. It affected those in the DN9 and DN17 postcodes, including the villages of Crowle, Epworth and customers have criticised the company for not helping them properly and being left without a parliamentary committee meeting on Tuesday, Yorkshire Water's chief executive Nicola Shaw admitted customers were "dissatisfied", as the company apologised in a statement for the incident. David Lane, who lives in Eastoft, said he was taking a shower when supply said: "Suddenly there was no water and it [remained like that] for a good 18 hours."He later contacted Yorkshire Water, which had assured him there would be "a water tanker" arriving in the village by 18:00 GMT. However, the emergency supply never arrived and instead, water bottles had been delivered to the neighbouring villages of Luddington and Crowle, bypassing his hamlet, he said. Mr Lane said he gave up chasing the water company by phone because of a "30-minute wait" time. Paul Fillingham, a parish councillor in Eastoft, said he had rallied around the village trying to help those in desperate need of water, "which didn't materialise". "[Yorkshire Water] went through the village with an artic load of water and dropped it at the next village," he said. He said while some of those who were vulnerable had received bottles of water, many others were left Eastoft resident, Sue Healy, said there had been "a lack of information" to keep customers informed about the incident. "I received four text messages the day after, but nothing on the day it actually happened," she said. In a statement, Yorkshire Water apologised "for any inconvenience caused" by the burst water main and for not updating some it said: "The location over the M180 motorway made it more complex than usual to complete a quick repair."The company said it delivered bottled water to 211 vulnerable customers. But could only set up stations "in areas where it is safe to do so and there is space to host the bottled water", and as a result, was "unable to set up bottled water [distribution] in Eastoft". A spokesperson said: "We have spoken with local councillors today to understand their concerns and we will be conducting an internal review to identify any areas for improvement." 'Not good enough' Speaking to MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee earlier, Ms Shaw said: "We want to achieve a thriving Yorkshire, which is doing the right thing for our customers and for the environment. "We know we are not doing that at the moment."She admitted the company's performance was "not good enough"."The public is obviously dissatisfied and rightly so," she this month, Yorkshire Water apologised after a leaking pipe resulted in a road closure and left hundreds of properties in Goole without quizzed by MPs why the company only supplied bottled water to 44 of the 600 homes affected, Ms Shaw said they believed "there was still supply"."I think in retrospect that was the wrong decision," she added. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
