Yorkshire Water is introducing new technology which it says will cut greenhouse gas emissions and keep customer bills lower in the future.

The new wastewater treatment is expected to begin operating later in the year, with the location of its first site still under discussion.

The technology aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using carbon dioxide to stabilise nitrogen and phosphate held within the waste treated at the plant. This will then be turned into sustainable plant nutrients.

The partnership between Yorkshire Water and CCm Technologies will see the process used in the district.

Nevil Muncaster, Chief Strategy and Regulation officer at Yorkshire Water, said:

“Yorkshire Water’s holistic and integrated approach is critical to the sustainability of our water and wastewater services. This is a further innovative measure we are developing to reduce our carbon footprint and ensure we maximise the resources we have available to us.”

The new technology is set to be in place by the end of the year.

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Professor Peter Hammond, CCm’s Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, said:

“This is another significant step forward that will allow our technology to demonstrate how sustainable resource use by Yorkshire Water can lock captured carbon back into the soil.”

Yorkshire Water is asking residents to be careful with the amount of water they’re using.

The lack of rainfall and increase in people staying at home is having huge impacts on the water levels in the district, the organisation said.

The Met Office has announced that May was the sunniest month on record for the UK and with many residents at home during this warm weather, water consumption has increased.

Filling paddling pools and watering gardens more regularly has led Yorkshire Water to warn customers to be more vigilant with the amount of water they’re using.

“This good weather has meant we haven’t had much rain over the past few months and the levels of water in our reservoirs are lower than they normally would be.”

Leighton reservoir, near Masham, has changed dramatically over the sunny months, with water levels decreasing.

Leighton reservoir is just one of the reservoirs within the Harrogate district that is low in water.

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New practices are being put in place by Yorkshire Water in order to meet the requirements of the public, many of whom are still at home more than usual.

“We have a team of experts who work hard to make sure we keep Yorkshire’s water supply resilient. We have the ability to move water around our underground grid network and utilise different options to help us keep taps flowing but we need our customers to play their part too.”

As a turn in the weather approaches, Yorkshire Water is confident the low water levels can still cover the needs of the public. But they’re encouraging people to remain cautious and make small changes such as shorter showers.

Yorkshire Water has again urged people to stay away from reservoirs this weekend as its sites have already seen an influx of visitors since lockdown restrictions were eased.

It’s the third week in a row the company has pleaded for people not to visit its reservoirs as it continues to put plans in place to protect its key workers.

Car parks at Swinsty, Fewston and Thruscross are currently open after lockdown measures were relaxed and allowed people to travel to visit parks and other attractions for exercise.

It comes as people have flocked to reservoirs in the Harrogate district in the past couple of weeks to make the most of the sunshine. More than 50 cars were parked outside Swinsty reservoir in the first week of restrictions being relaxed.

Cars parked outside Swinsty reservoir in the first week of lockdown restrictions being eased.

But bosses at Yorkshire Water have urged people to only visit if they are in walking distance after incidents where cars have been parked inappropriately on nearby roads.

Emily Brady, marketing and content manager at Yorkshire Water, said reservoirs in the county had been busy since restrictions were eased and urged people to stay away.

She said: “Since the government guidelines have changed, we’ve been working hard to devise a plan to keep everyone safe while enjoying our beautiful reservoirs. 

“Our key workers visit our reservoirs regularly to do vital engineering checks so we’re putting plans in place to help protect them.

“While we do this, we want to remind everyone to not visit our reservoirs this weekend unless you live within walking distance. Unfortunately, lots of people are still visiting our reservoirs and they’re very busy at the moment. 

“We’ve had several incidences of people parking inappropriately on roads nearby causing traffic issues too and this has caused issues for emergency services so please don’t visit this weekend and hopefully we’ll be back to normal soon.”

Harrogate district’s reservoir car parks will remain closed over this coming Bank Holiday weekend.

Yorkshire Water says it has had several reports of people swimming in its reservoirs over the last week despite the closure, something it is trying to deter over safety fears.

With the car parks closed there will be fears of similar scenes to last weekend when people ended up dumping their cars on the sides of busy roads.

Washburn Parish Council told the Stray Ferret that people arrive at Fewston and Thruscross reservoirs to find closed car parks end up wrecking the verges.

Not only is it wrecking the verges but it is causing problems for the emergency services.

Yorkshire Water has said that it is still working on a plan to keep everyone safe while they enjoy the reservoirs but it wasn’t ready yet.

The company’s initial concern is for its key workers who visit the reservoirs regularly to do vital engineering checks.

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said today that people should not visit unless they are within walking distance – a policy which is contrary to government advice.

“Unfortunately, lots of people are still visiting our reservoirs despite car parks being closed and we’ve had several incidences of people parking inappropriately on roads nearby causing traffic issues. This has caused issues for emergency services, so please don’t visit this weekend and hopefully we’ll be back open soon.

“We have also received several reports of people swimming in our reservoirs this week. Whilst it might be tempting when the weather is hot, please remember that it is not safe to do so. Reservoir temperatures rarely go above 12 degrees and there is no lifeguard around in case something goes wrong.”

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in North Yorkshire has risen by almost 40 per cent in one day, according to Public Health England.

The organisation reported there were 69 cases in the county on Friday, compared to 50 the day before.

At present, most patients are only tested if they are admitted to hospital with severe symptoms, so figures do not include people who have symptoms but are able to stay at home. There are no specific figures for the Harrogate district, but two people have died at Harrogate District Hospital after testing positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, local authorities, police and other landowners including Yorkshire Water have asked the public to stay at home and not travel to popular tourism destinations and beauty spots this weekend.

It follows large crowds seen at locations including Swinsty, Fewston and Thruscross reservoirs last weekend. Good weather on Mother’s Day is believed to have contributed to people looking for places to meet family outdoors, leading to further curbs on activities by the government from last Monday evening.

North Yorkshire Police have now set up check-points to ensure anyone travelling is only doing so for essential reasons, such as key workers going to work or individuals going to buy food. They say they will be issuing fines of up to £1,000 for anyone caught flouting the rules.