Conservative MP Andrew Jones has issued a plea for volunteers to help in the campaign to achieve bathing water status on the River Nidd.
Mr Jones plans to submit an application for bathing water status at Knaresborough Lido after reports of numerous bathers falling ill last summer.
If successful, it would oblige government agencies to take action to improve water quality.
In a three-minute video on his Community News website, the Harrogate and Knaresborough MP blamed the Victorian-era sewage system, run-off from agricultural land and drainage from housing estates for polluting the Nidd.
He asked for volunteers to help with the campaign. He said:
“May this year is a critical time as it marks the start of the bathing season when evidence must be collected for the bathing water application that I’m leading.
“This campaign is building momentum but we can’t let it slide. That’s why I’m calling out to anyone who is passionate about our environment or who uses the River Nidd to come forward and help with the volunteer work.”
Mr Jones said data would be collected over summer and urged anyone interested in helping to get in touch.
He said he would be working alongside Nidd Action Group between now and September to apply for bathing water designation.
Steve Kirkley, from Blenkhorn’s Boats
Steve Kirkley, from Blenkhorn’s Boats, which operates boat hire on the Nidd, told the video improved water quality would “lead to more enjoyable surroundings” while David Clayden, secretary of Harrogate Fly Fishers’ Club, said it would create “a better environment for the river”.
Nicola Shaw, chief executive of Yorkshire Water, said it was important to work in partnership to improve water quality.
‘Nidd plagued by foul sewage’
This week Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, accused Conservative MPs of “blocking new tough measures on water companies” to tackle sewage discharge.
Mr Gordon said the Sewage Discharge Bill would have introduced automatic fines on water companies breaking their sewage dumping permits but Conservative MPs voted to block it.
Mr Gordon, said:
“The Nidd has been plagued by foul sewage discharges. People across Harrogate and Knaresborough are furious about this, yet the Conservative government keeps blocking new laws to get tough on water companies.”
Read more:
- River Nidd testing begins as clean-up campaign gathers pace
- Yorkshire Water discharged sewage into River Nidd 870 times in 2022
Campaign launched to achieve bathing water status on River Nidd
Organisations have agreed to work together to achieve designated bathing water status on the River Nidd at Knaresborough.
Longstanding concerns about water quality were heightened in summer when people and dogs fell ill after entering the Nidd.
If the bathing water bid is successful, the Environment Agency would be obliged to put plans in place to monitor and protect the water.
Not a single waterway in North Yorkshire currently has bathing water status but the River Wharfe in Ilkley has achieved it.
Knaresborough has been chosen because of the amount of recreational river users it attracts, but if the campaign succeeds the rest of the Nidd would also benefit from the measures introduced.
Anglers, the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water, Nidderdale AONB, Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, Leeds University, councillors and Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, are among those involved after a meeting this month.
They must demonstrate the river attracts a large number of bathers and has support for such a move. Landowners must also support applications for privately owned sites.
Shan Oakes
Shan Oakes, a Green Party councillor in Knaresborough chairing the group, said the government was not setting high enough water quality standards and action was necessary. Ms Oakes, who is also on Knaresborough Town Council, added:
“It’s not going to be a quick fix. We need to consult with a lot of groups.”
Read more:
- Meeting called to hear concerns about state of River Nidd
- UK’s largest weir removal project begins on River Nidd at Scotton
Last week Hannah Gostlow, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough East on North Yorkshire County Council, agreed to chair a cross-party sub-group of the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee that will examine the issue. She said:
“We are well placed to achieve this but we need the support of the community and the town council.”
Knaresborough lido, which is particularly popular with recreational river users, will probably be the focus of the campaign. Cllr Gostlow said:
“The river plays a big part in the local economy but people are getting ill so we need to do something.”
She added she hoped the campaign might succeed by summer 2024.
Action by anglers
The Nidd Catchment Angling Group held a meeting in August to discuss concerns about the Nidd near Darley sewage treatment works.
A further meeting on October 3 was held to address wider concerns about the river.
David Clayden, honorary secretary of Harrogate Fly Fishers’ Club, said:
“We’ve broadened and deepened our membership, and are pursuing a number of shared objectives.
“I am the lead for the improved monitoring and analysis of the Nidd’s water, while Shan Oakes, of Knaresborough Town Council, is leading on the bid to get Knaresborough established as a safe bathing water location.
“We also have established a strong link with staff and postgraduate students from the University of Leeds, through James McKay, who will help us with research studies about quality of the Nidd catchment’s water course, and the efforts by local people to maintain and improve them.
“We are all agreed of the importance of Knaresborough achieving this designation, and are working together to achieve this.”
Mr Jones raised the matter in Parliament this week when he called for a debate on how to establish more designated bathing areas on rivers, However, he did not respond to questions by the Stray Ferret on the Nidd campaign.