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A massive increase in housebuilding across Harrogate and Knaresborough is worsening pollution in the River Nidd, according to the Environment Agency.

Jamie Duncan, who has worked on the Nidd for 20 years for the public body, gave a wide-ranging presentation about the health of the river to Harrogate and Knaresborough councillors earlier today.

Yorkshire Water is allowed to release sewage into the Nidd when the sewerage system is at risk of being overwhelmed through what are called storm overflows.

It has led to human waste being released over thousands of hours, and sampling by the Nidd Action Group has reported that the bacteria E. coli is at “concerningly high” levels.

Mr Duncan’s message to councillors was stark as he warned the problem could get worse without a recognition of the impact that development is having, and improvements to the town’s creaking Victorian sewerage system.

He said the Environment Agency was trying to tackle historic pollution problems, such as peat bog erosion and metal mining, which wash into the river at Nidderdale and travel downstream.

But he said its attempts are being made more difficult due to the thousands of new homes that have been built in the outskirts of Harrogate over the last decade — and thousands are more planned.

He said:

“If you are building housing estates on the urban fringe, on greenfield sites that historically have sewers just for servicing a pub and a few farms… and you’re putting hundreds of houses into these pipes then you only need a very small amount of rain [for waste] to spill into rivers.

“That’s untreated sewage. You’ve sieved out contraception and sanitary products, nothing more.”

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During the 2010s the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council did not have a local plan for several years, which gave the authority little control over where developers chose to build.

Harrogate now has a local plan but Mr Duncan said North Yorkshire Council must give more consideration into what impact new housing is having on the sewerage system, which he said is struggling to cope.

He added that the situation is leading to more storm overflows and more sewage being pumped into the Nidd.

A working group of councillors was set up last year to tackle pollution in the river, following an incident last summer where several children ended up in hospital after swimming there.

A campaign is also underway to clean up the river so it can be designated with bathing water status. Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones submitted an application to government last month.

North Yorkshire Council is also in the early stages of developing a new county-wide local plan that will set out where housebuilding can take place over the next 15 years.

Paul Haslam, Conservative councillor for Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said he hoped the council can view the sewage network as a “critical part” of infrastructure, like roads.

In the meantime, Mr Duncan urged councillors to factor in the sewerage system when granting planning permission for new developments.

He said:

“If you’re going to grant it, please understand the knock-on effects. Houses might be new, but the sewage pipes might run a very long way through central Harrogate to a very old system that’s at capacity.”

High levels of faecal bacteria in River Nidd confirmed

A second round of water sampling on the River Nidd has confirmed high levels of the faecal bacteria E.coli.

Volunteers tested for E.coli levels along the length of the Nidd as part of a clean-up campaign amid concerns about the state of the river and reports of bathers at Knaresborough Lido suffering sickness and diarrhoea.

The first round of sampling took place in August and the laboratory results of the second round, which took place a fortnight ago, were released last week.

David Clayden, chairman of Nidd Action Group, which coordinated the sampling, said the latest results confirmed the previous findings, which showed concentrations of E. coli bacteria were above acceptable limits.

He added the locations identified as E.coli hotspots in August once again produced the most concerning results.

Tributaries in the middle and lower Nidd catchment, including Ripley Beck, Oak Beck and Crimple Beck, had the highest concentrations of E.coli, with Bilton Beck the worst.

Sampling at Oak Beck in August.

In general, concentrations of E. coli were much lower in the upper catchment of the river from Pateley Bridge to Birstwith, than in the middle and lower catchments.

Knaresborough sampling locations revealed concentrations above the levels deemed sufficient for inland bathing water.

The Nidd Action Group committee met on Friday to talk about next steps, which will include organising a second public meeting to discuss progress and plans for 2024.

Mr Clayden said the meeting will be held in Knaresborough in early December and would follow a similar format to the one staged in March this year.

Meanwhile, Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, is expected to submit a bid to the government in the next few days to designate bathing water status on the Nidd.

If accepted, agencies will be obliged to undertake measures to clean the Nidd, as has happened on the River Wharfe in Ilkley.

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River Nidd sampling reveals high levels of faecal bacteria

A major water sampling operation along the length of the River Nidd has revealed high levels of the faecal bacteria E.coli.

Dozens of volunteers tested water quality at 45 locations on August 3 as part of an ongoing clean-up campaign.

Analysis of the results has now revealed high levels of E.coli, which can cause illnesses such as vomiting and diarrhoea, along the Nidd and “extremely high levels” at some points — especially the beck tributaries.

Volunteers conduct sampling at Oak Beck this month.

A second round of water sampling is due to take place next month before a formal bid is submitted to the government to designate bathing water status on the Nidd.

If accepted, agencies will be obliged to undertake measures to clean the Nidd, as has happened on the River Wharfe in Ilkley.

David Clayden, chairman of Nidd Action Group, which is coordinating the sampling, said:

“The results so far indicate high levels of E.coli, particularly down river. Specific locations, including some of our becks, show especially high values whose origins we need to understand better through discussions with the organisations charged with keeping our River Nidd clean.

“I’m not surprised by the findings as this is a uniquely comprehensive, citizen science led activity, aimed at exposing the true levels of pollution in the Nidd, and through rational analysis getting them improved.”

River Nidd water sampling

Volunteers involved in the project to test Nidd water quality.

Knaresborough bathing levels

The results showed in the upper catchment, down to Birstwith, the concentrations of E. coli were much lower than in the middle and lower catchment.

E.Coli concentrations rose below Killinghall sewage treatment works and stayed high, with the most extreme value at Nidd viaduct, below the confluence of Oak Beck and the River Nidd.

Knaresborough sampling locations had concentrations well above the levels deemed sufficient for inland bathing water. Reports of bathers around Knaresborough Lido falling ill played a major role in prompting the campaign.

The tributaries in the middle and lower Nidd catchment all had particularly high concentrations of E.coli – Ripley Beck, Oak Beck and Crimple Beck. Bilton Beck was extremely high.

Mr Clayden said besides next month’s second round of testing, “many more local actions” were being planned to provide improved information to help look after our river. He added:

“During the survey I was heartened to meet many wonderful local people, volunteering their precious free time to understand and benefit their local river.”

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Volunteers learn to test for E coli in River Nidd

Dozens of volunteers will be heading to the River Nidd today as part of a project to find out how much E coli bacteria is in the water.

Around 40 people will be gathering near Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough to learn how to take valid samples from the Nidd – from the bankside and from bridges over the river.

The volunteers will then turn out again in force on August 3 to put their training into action and take samples from all stretches of the river from Scar House Reservoir at the top end of Nidderdale right down to Moor Monkton, where the Nidd joins the Ouse in the Vale of York. 

They will repeat the process at the end of September, in an initiative that forms the centrepiece of an iNidd project organised by the Nidd Action Group (NAG).

All the water samples will be sent for laboratory testing to find out how polluted they are, both with faecal and chemical inflows.  

David Clayden, chairman of NAG, said:

“We want to find the truth. I don’t think people know enough about the river. This whole project is about understanding the chemical and biological profile of the river, including the tributaries, specifically Oak Beck, Crimple Beck and possibly also Ripley Beck.  

“It will give us data from all up and down the river, all taken on the same day, under the same conditions, which has never been done here before. A lot of preparatory work has gone into this and it’s all coming together very well. It’s very exciting.” 

The samples will enable NAG to establish the concentration of faecal coliforms – or E coli – associated with human and pet health, nutrient chemicals such as phosphates and nitrates, and concentrations of heavy metals – all associated with the ecological balance of the river and the richness and variety of invertebrate and plant life. 

Mr Clayden said: 

“If a water sample is good, that’s great. But if it’s bad, we want to know what’s upstream of it – a sewage outlet, a farm, or a caravan park perhaps? We need to gauge the relative importance of different pollution sources.” 

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NAG hopes to be able to publish the results of the lab tests in the autumn, around the same time that Andrew Jones MP is due to submit the case for River Nidd bathing water status for consideration by Defra (the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs). 

NAG is also working with the Environment Agency on an “outfall safari”, which involves walking along the river bank and spotting unmapped pipes and other sources of pollution. 

Mr Clayden said: 

“You’d think they would know where they all are, but they don’t. A lot of these pipes have just been wrongly connected, either intentionally or by accident, and they may come from any private property along the river bank. 

“So we need volunteers to spot them and report on how much pollution they’re causing. It involves investigative, observational work, and some training may be given by the Environment Agency.” 

NAG was formed in September 2022 after concerns about the quality of the water in the Nidd were raised by anglers and others. It now has 100 volunteers. 

Mr Clayden said: 

“It’s a nice community, and one thing they all have in common is that they all love the river.” 

Anyone wanting to join them and get involved with research on the River Nidd should use the Get Involved page on the NAG website. 

Bed race entrants urged to ‘keep your head above water’ when crossing polluted Nidd

Great Knaresborough Bed Race competitors crossing the polluted River Nidd this weekend have been urged by organisers to keep their heads above the water.

Last week a young child was reported to have been taken to hospital with an E. coli infection after playing in the river at Knaresborough. 

It came after a report by Professor Peter Hammond, a retired professor of computational biology, last month revealed the equivalent of 317 Olympic pools of raw sewage were discharged into the river at four sewage treatment works in 2020. 

Nidd Action Group and Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones are campaigning for a stretch of the Nidd at Knaresborough Lido to be granted bathing water status, to ensure the river is cleaned up. 

Saturday’s bed race will see hundreds of competitors crossing the river as part of the course.

Bed Race chairman Martin Brock, of Knaresborough Lions, said: 

“It goes without saying that we wish the youngster a speedy recovery from their infection. We know for our teams and the crowds that the river crossing is an integral part of bed race and one that they look forward to every year. The teams recognise when signing up for the event that they are participating at their own risk.  

“We will flag at the team briefing about the Nidd, although it is local knowledge that the water isn’t perfect, and that when crossing, you keep your head above water.” 

Safety measures

Last year, the Nidd saw 870 sewage dump incidents, according to Environment Agency figures, and recent water testing by researchers from the University of Leeds has shown the harmful bacteria E. coli is at unusually high levels. 

E. coli is a bacterial infection that can cause severe stomach pain, bloody diarrhoea and even kidney failure. It is found in the gut and faeces of many animals, particularly cattle. Its presence at such high levels in the River Nidd is thought to be caused by either sewage dumps or by run-off from livestock farmland – or both. 

Mr Brock added: 

“Ultimately, no one is forced to go through the river and we do implement safety measures if teams choose to cross including limiting the number of beds in the river and having divers from the Upper Wharfdale Fell Rescue Association in the Nidd.

“The final decision to cross the river is taken on the morning of the race and if advice is given that it is unsafe, we would cancel the crossing. However, as things stand, with the recent spate of fine weather and a low river level, we are planning for the traditional river crossing on Saturday 10th.”

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Harrogate and District Green Party said today the bed race was “an incredible event… being put at risk by Yorkshire Water’s cavalier approach to their sewage problem”.

It accused the government, supported by local MP Mr Jones of “putting profits before people”.

Mr Jones replied by saying recent data showed E. coli levels had drastically dropped and urged the Greens to join the Nidd clean-up campaign. He added:

“Politicians laying blame at one another’s door for a situation that has existed ever since the Victorians built our sewerage system is not constructive.”

The annual bed race was first held in 1966, and sees 90 teams of seven complete a 2.4-mile course around the town. This year’s theme for the pre-race fancy-dress parade is “That’s Entertainment”.

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Bacteria linked to sewage at ‘concerningly high’ levels in River Nidd

Recent testing of water pollution in the River Nidd has shown the harmful bacteria E. coli is at ‘concerningly high’ levels.

The testing is taking place to support a campaign to clean up the river so a section of it can eventually be designated Bathing Water Status.

This would mean people could enjoy wild swimming in the river by the Knaresborough Lido caravan park without falling ill.

Currently in England, only two rivers, including a section of the River Wharfe in Ilkley, have achieved the status.

Scientists say E. coli in water is a strong indicator of sewage or animal waste contamination and consuming it can lead to severe illness.

Last week in the House of Commons, MPs said raw sewage and micro plastics in the UK’s rivers were putting health and nature at risk.

The campaign in the Harrogate district is gathering momentum and is being led by Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, who secured a debate on the topic in Parliament in November.

Anglers and other concerned groups have set up Nidd Action Group and a meeting was held in Knaresborough this week about how to clean up the river.

A cross-party working group of councillors has also formed to help tackle the problem.

Cllr Monika Slater, Liberal Democrat councillor for Bilton Grange and New Park, updated councillors at North Yorkshire County Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee today about how the campaign is going.

She said several councillors attended the Nidd Action Group meeting, adding: 

“It was a really good turnout. There’s a lot of community support and estimates are around 70 people attended.”

Cllr Slater said anglers as well as scientists at the University of Leeds are testing the river once a month for pollutants and have found that E. coli is at “concerningly high” levels.

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Testing will be increased to every fortnight from May 15, which is the beginning of the bathing season.

Earlier in the meeting, councillors heard from Sarah Robinson, corporate affairs advisor at Yorkshire Water.

Ms Robinson gave details about the scale of the problem in the Nidd and what the company is doing to improve its infrastructure.

Water companies are allowed to release sewage into rivers when the sewerage system is at risk of being overwhelmed, such as during heavy rainfall, through what are called storm overflows.

Ms Robinson said Yorkshire Water had 2,221 storm overflows during 2022 — a figure that is down slightly on last year’s number.

She said the company is set to spend up to £39 million by the end of the decade to improve its infrastructure in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Ms Robinson added:

“We’ve got a long way to go before we’re up to the standard our customers expect.

“We will work out where best to spend our money to reduce our impact and spill less. That process is ongoing. The goal is to reduce the average spills by 20% by 2025.”