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02
Feb 2022
Harrogate Lib Dems call for sewage tax to clean-up rivers
Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have called on the government to introduce a sewage tax to raise money to clean rivers.
The party said a 16% tax on water companies would help to create an emergency fund to improve rivers which had sewage dumped into them.
The Stray Ferret reported in November that Yorkshire Water released raw and untreated sewage into Harrogate district rivers and becks on 3,800 different occasions in 2020.
The worst affected local river is the River Nidd, prompting health concerns from wild swimmers that use the river in Knaresborough.
Water companies are legally allowed to release sewage through overflow pipes when the sewage system becomes too full, which can happen during increased rainfall.
Read more:
- River Nidd a ‘potential health risk’ after MPs’ vote on sewage
- Raw sewage released into Harrogate district rivers for 36,000 hours last year
The Liberal Democrats highlighted that Yorkshire Water made an operating profit of £241 million last year.
Hannah Gostlow, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Scriven Park in Knaresborough, said:
The Stray Ferret contacted the Conservative leader of Harrogate Borough Council, Cllr Richard Cooper, to ask for his response to the proposal. He referred us to the council press office. We await a response.
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