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03
Sept
Motion calls for ‘rivers free from pee and poo’ in Ripon
Ripon City Council is to call on Yorkshire Water to stop dumping sewage into local waterways so children can ‘paddle safely in our rivers free from pee and poo’.
The council will also invite Yorkshire Water chief executive Nicola Shaw to attend a meeting and explain why the company pumps sewage into local rivers.
Councillor Jackie Crozier, a member of the Independent Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group who represents Spa Ward, has proposed the water safety motion for the full council meeting on Monday, September 7.
Children play in the rivers Ure, Skell and Laver, which flow through Ripon.
Sewage is discharged at 19 locations in the Ripon area, according to Yorkshire Water’s live storm overflow map. It is often released during heavy rainfall when stormwater and wastewater systems exceed capacity.
The map did not show any active discharges yesterday (September 2) but spillages are common.
Sewage discharge in Ripon.
579 hours of sewage
In 2025, sewage was spilled into the Ure, Skell and Laver 181 times for a total of 579 hours.
Recently, wet weather on August 20 led to a 1 hour, 39 minute discharge into the River Ure at Sharow and a 1 hour, 14 minute release at Newbridge. Sewage was deposited for 22 minutes at the clocktower combined sewer overflow on August 31.
Yorkshire Water says that without the discharges, homes and gardens would be flooded when the sewers are full.
But Cllr Crozier’s motion, which councillors will vote whether to support, states:
This council calls upon Yorkshire Water to cease the practice of discharging sewage into our local rivers.
This council believes that local children when water levels permit should be able to paddle safely in our rivers free from pee and poo.
The council invites the chief executive to come to a futire meeting of this council and explain why Yorkshire Water think this practice is acceptable and outline what measures Yorkshire water will be implementing to ensure that this practice ceases.
The River Skell in Ripon
Cllr Andrew Williams, the mayor and a close ally of Cllr Crozier, has seconded the motion, which is likely to have the support of the controlling Independent Putting Ripon Before Party Politics group.
Ripon campaigner Brian McHugh said:
It is absolutely fantastic to see this environmental action and leadership coming from Ripon City Council under the direction of Cllrs Andrew Williams and Jackie Crozier. For far too long, our rivers have been polluted by Yorkshire Water and it is time that they face the music for what they have done and make amends to their customers.
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