INTERVIEW: Campaigner speaks out as demands grow for cleaner water in Morecambe Bay

A regular swimmer in Morecambe Bay has voiced her concerns over sewage in the water as calls for action continue to grow.

Chelsey Needham said it was important to keep on raising awareness of the issue as campaigners stepped up their fight against dirty water in the Bay.

Protesters gathered in the town over the weekend calling for the removal of any untreated sewage from rivers and seas.

In 2022 there were reports of human excrement being seen floating in Morecambe Bay.

Chelsey, a dance and yoga teacher from Morecambe who regularly swims in the Bay, said: "It is a problem and it's an ongoing problem even though it was mainly witnessed last summer when it was the hot weather.

"It doesn't seem like it's something that's completely over."

LISTEN to Chelsey talking to Tony Simon from Triple M Radio

"With the good news that the Eden Project has been announced, (and) the idea of Morecambe becoming a seaside town again, we all want to know that the waters are going to be clean," said Chelsey.

The protest, part of a national day of action against polluted beaches and waterways organised by climate campaigners Extinction Rebellion, was held in Morecambe on Saturday.

Protesters from a 'Red Rebel Brigade' performance group walked through the streets from the Arndale to the Clock Tower dressed in red to "symbolise the common blood we share with all species".

Campaigners also held a 'Staying Alive' disco performance as part of the 'Dirty Water Protest, Clean Water March'.

Chelsey said the event was to "get people together to discuss their experiences of the sewage and discuss our bills that we are paying to United Utilities". 

"Part of that bill includes waste water removal fee," she said.

"If it's something that's not being done on a regular basis, if they're not treating the sewage, it seems silly that we should have to pay for that."

Chelsey said that other people who swim in the Bay were upset about the sewage.

"Last year everyone noticed it, but it's hard to say when it's been there and when it's not.

"It may be that it's an ongoing problem, but we've started to see it more because more people are in the water.

"Sewage does need somewhere to go and the sea does seem like the best place for it but obviously it needs to be treated properly first."

Chelsey (pictured below) has also set up an online petition, saying the dirty water in the Bay is "a public health issue, an economic issue, a political issue and an environmental issue". 

The petition says: "Since leaving the EU/ Brexit our national legislation has failed to match the EU standards, it has become lax and this isn't something our government is worried/cares about.

"However I am sure if you've swam in the sewage and see the amount of times our sensors tells us the water is polluted and therefore potentially dangerous to swim in, I think you will disagree with the government.

"This is a serious issue. Especially as Eden is coming which will put even more pressure on our water removal waste systems. We already saw the problems in winter with burst pipes because of the cold weather pressure when we had our water turned off. 

"UK water companies have underinvested in infrastructure for decades and continue to prioritise profit for their shareholders, over the health of their customers. Unless the law changes and compels them to clean up their act, nothing will change."

Therese Coffey, environment secretary, said earlier this week: "I do care about the sewage in our waters".

Launching the government's new five-year plan for cleaning up the environment, she vowed to hold the water industry to account.

This came after a report by industry watchdog the independent Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) found that many of the government's 23 environmental targets were at significant risk of not being achieved.

The government said it would consider the report carefully.

The new plan sets out how the government intends to meet legally-binding targets on water quality, biodiversity and waste as well as international targets agreed at the COP15 UN biodiversity summit in December.

The ambitions of the Environmental Improvement Plan include:

• Creating and restoring at least 2,000 square miles of new wildlife habitats
• Ensuring everyone in England lives within a 15-minute walk of woodlands, wetlands, parks and rivers
• Restoring 400 miles of England's rivers
• New targets for 2028 for reducing plastic, glass, metal, paper and food waste
• A promise to put environmental protection at the heart of all new government policy.

Therese Coffey said: "Nature is vital for our survival, crucial to our food security, clean air, and clean water as well as health and wellbeing benefits."

Members of Lancaster City Council’s cabinet met representatives from United Utilities last September after swimmers reported seeing human faeces in Morecambe Bay.

The presentation provided a regional view of the work of the company, including details of local investment in storm water storage capacity and the doubling of the transfer capacity at the Schola Green pumping station, along with improvements to the current pipe work and remediation of faults and leaks in the system

Various concerns were addressed, including the changes in the climate which has led to increased heavy downpours and flooding, but also hotter drier summers. As a result United Utilities has upgraded and invested in major new clean water pipework schemes which mean that the system can provide enough water even during very hot spells.

However, councillors expressed concerns about bathing water quality and the release of sewage into the sea and rivers during storm conditions. They were unanimous in saying that Lancaster and Morecambe wanted its bathing waters to be of highest possible quality.

Related Story: Council meets United Utilities to address Morecambe Bay sewage concerns - Beyond Radio

In response to the concerns of residents, a United Utilities spokeperson said this week: 

“The North West coastline has seen billions of pounds of water company investment over the last 30 years. This includes Morecambe Wastewater Treatment Works, which has had a multimillion-pound upgrade and now uses the latest technology to improve water quality in Morecambe Bay.

“Between 2020 and 2025 we will have invested £230 million into improving 184km of waterways. We won’t stop there, and from 2025 we will be going even further – with one of the biggest environmental improvement programmes ever delivered.”

We have also contacted David Morris, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, for comment.

Related Story: MPs wade in over Morecambe Bay sewage dumping controversy - Beyond Radio