Latest news with #RiverDerwent
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Campaigners call six hour Cockermouth sewage spill 'shocking'
A campaign group has described sewage being spilt into a river for more than six and a half hours as "shocking".Sewage began being released from the storm overflow at Cockermouth Waste Water Treatment Works, in Cumbria, at 04:46 BST on Monday and continued to do so for six hours and 39 minutes, according to United Utilities' Luxton of Surfers Against Sewage blamed underinvestment for the prolonged spill and said the water company was using the "same old tired excuses" to justify the Utilities said the tank was discharging because the area had experienced "heavy rainfall overnight" and the site was operating within its permit to prevent flooding. Mr Luxton said: "Shocking events like these are the result of years of chronic underinvestment and symptomatic of a system that prioritises pay-outs and bonuses instead of the public good."Matt Staniek, founder of the Save Windermere group which campaigns against sewage spills in the Lake District, said it was cheaper for water companies to "dump" sewage rather than treat it."People should be asking where their money has gone, and why it hasn't been invested to prevent this from happening," Mr Staniek said. The overflow tank is located by the River Derwent near Papcastle Met Office's rainfall map shows Cockermouth and the surrounding area experienced about five hours of rain, starting from areas received low levels of rainfall but small patches experienced high levels, upwards of 16mm (0.6in) per hour. A United Utilities spokesman said storm overflows were permitted to operate after heavy rainfall to "avoid the flooding of homes and businesses".He said there had been a 31% reduction in spill duration in 2024 with the company "committed" to driving down the number of times storm overflows were spokesman said the firm was "embarking on the largest ever investment programme in our infrastructure" which would see the "biggest overhaul of the region's sewer network in a century". Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Susan Neill-Fraser spent 13 years in jail for murdering her wealthy partner. As supporters insist she was wrongly convicted, a stunning update in the case could change everything
Usually a serene backdrop to Hobart's picturesque, meandering coastline, the chilly waters of the River Derwent became a canvas for horror on January 27, 2009. As the first branches of the post-Australia Day sunrise hit the yachts moored in Sandy Bay, a chilling sight emerged: a partially submerged vessel, The Four Winds, listing heavily, with obvious signs of violence on board.
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Demolitions and tree felling for Derby flood defence scheme
Buildings will be demolished and trees pulled up in the centre of Derby for a flood defence work alongside the River Derwent is under way for the second phase of the Derby Riverside work, which Derby City Council said was "one of the city's biggest infrastructure projects".Land is being cleared between the A601 Causey Bridge and the Derwent Bridge rail crossing, including the demolition of Peat House, Epworth House and Derwent Centre in Stuart Street and Crompton House in Derwent Street.A new flood wall, floodgates and a riverside green area will then be built, said the council, to provide "a controlled corridor for flood waters" to pass through. Climate change lead councillor Carmel Swan said Derby had seen its five highest recorded river levels over the past five added: "We saw the damage caused by Storm Babet on the left bank of the river, and the need for action is clear."With these works we will continue to protect properties and future proof our city."Robin Metcalf, regional director at contractor John Sisk & Son, said workers would be hired locally and the project would make "a positive local impact". The work will lead to the "unavoidable" removal of trees in the way of the wall or which could obstruct the flow of water, with permission in place to remove more than the council said this was the "worst-case scenario" and it would aim to "keep as many as possible", while tree planting would offset any losses elsewhere in the council said phase one of the project with the Environment Agency was carried out between 2015 and included flood alleviation measures being built between the Alfreton Road Industrial Estate and Sowter Road to protect more than 2,000 properties.A further phase is planned for the area between Chaddesden Sidings and Raynesway on the Derwent's north bank and at Alvaston Park on the south side by 2027.
ABC News
26-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Whales in the River Derwent off Hobart's northern suburbs.
Humpback whales have been spotted in the River Derwent as far up as Montrose during the annual northern migration. Supplied: Bec Williams
News.com.au
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Wild scenes as thousands strip off for icy nude swim at end of Dark Mofo
At sunrise on the shortest day of the year, thousands of naked bodies surged into Hobart's icy River Derwent, baring all to farewell one of Australia's most daring festivals. The annual Nude Solstice Swim marked the end of Dark Mofo 2025, with 3,000 people shedding their clothes for the final 'cleansing' ritual. When the swim was first proposed in 2013, police threatened to arrest participants, sparking controversy around the provocative event. Since then, it has become an officially sanctioned and wildly popular highlight of the festival, selling out every year as thousands embrace the daring winter tradition. Wrapped in towels and donning matching red swim caps, swimmers gathered in the dark before sprinting into the water to the sound of drums as the first rays of daylight hit the horizon on Saturday morning. With the mercury dropping to 10 degrees at 7.42am, many only dipped in briefly, but dozens lingered on the pontoon taking in the sunrise over the hill. After a cancelled 2024 festival, Dark Mofo Artistic Director Chris Twite said organisers had worked hard to rebuild the provocative event. 'This morning, after two years of hard work, it was tremendous to see 3,000 courageous souls gathered once more on the shore of the Derwent to brave the freezing waters for the Nude Solstice Swim to cleanse us and bring this year's Dark Mofo to a close,' he said. 'The response in 2025 has been incredible. The streets of Hobart have come alive with locals and visitors celebrating winter and Dark Mofo again.' The 2025 program was the first full-scale edition of the festival since the pandemic and drew massive crowds, with more than 480,000 entries and $4.6 million generated at the box office. Dark Mofo's Executive Director Melissa Edwards praised the overwhelming support behind the festival's return. 'We could not be more thankful for the ways that everyone has come together to return Dark Mofo to Tasmania this year,' she said.
