A WATER supply company covering the North West have launched a £230m investment programme into the region’s wastewater systems. 

United Utilities programme of environmental investment looks to improve 184km of the region’s rivers by 2025. 

The investment looks to make waste watersystems more resilient to rainfall, with hopes of reducing sewer spills into the environment by more than 10 million tonnes a year - the equivalent of 4,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.  

Across Cumbria, the water company will be upgrading treatment plants and sewer systems with £2.3m investment into Carlisle wastewater treatment works, improving the River Eden, as well as a £1.15m investment at the wastewater treatment plant at Gosforth, with hopes of improving the River Bleng.

READ MORE: Cumbria's rivers are among those revealed to be 'polluted and putting public health and nature at risk', says report by MPs

Jo Harrison, director of environment planning and innovation at United Utilities, said: "At United Utilities, our purpose is very clear – we don’t just supply water, we also want to make the North West greener, healthier and stronger. We work very hard to maintain a high level of environmental performance and we’re pleased that for the second year running we have been awarded the top 4-star rating by the Environment Agency.    

"We know there is always more to do, and playing our part to improve the health of the region’s rivers is very important to our customers.  This is already well underway and, by 2025, we will have invested £230m improving 184km of waterways and we will have developed our plans to progressively reduce the impact of storm overflows in the coming years," she said. 

Brian Wernham, Lib Dem councillor for Stanwix Urban, said this investment is " far too small". 

In Stanwix, raw sewage is pumped into the Eden at Etterby Terrace by United Utilities having travelled underneath Etterby Lea. In 2020 this sewer storm overflow spilled toilet matter on 42 occasions for a total of 64 hours.

"An overflow outlet in Rickerby Park, spilled 60 times in 2020 for a total of 217 hours. Unbelievably, there is an unmonitored sewer storm overflow beside Trinity School upstream of Stanwix. We simply don’t know how much untreated sewage is discharged there.

"This small improvement by United Utilities is not enough.  Anglers have told me that they find toilet paper and wet wipes on their hooks sometimes.

"Under the Government’s current plans, raw sewage dumping will continue for years, the Lib Dems propose a 'Sewage Tax; on the profits of the UK’s water companies. Last year they made profits of £2.2 billion," he said. 

READ MORE: Lib Dems fight to keep sewage water out of Cumbria's rivers