An East Lancashire MP has said he is “demanding answers” from United Utilities after concerns about raw sewage spills in local waterways.
Jonathan Hinder, the Labour representative for Pendle and Clitheroe, has said storm overflows are supposed to be used as a last resort.
However, so-called dry-day spills, discharging sewage when there hasn’t been significant rain, have been recorded this summer, something Mr Hinder says is “not on”.
Mr Hinder said: “Storm overflows are only ever supposed to be a last resort during extreme rainfall to stop sewage backing up into our homes and streets.
"However, 'dry-day' spills - discharging sewage when there hasn't been significant rain - are not on.
“I have officially written to United Utilities to demand answers. I want to know exactly what immediate measures they are taking to prevent these spills, alongside full details of their long-term plans to upgrade our infrastructure.
“My view is simple – I want us, the public, to own our water, and I continue to push for that in the national debate.
“But in the meantime, United Utilities must answer for these sewage spills, while our bills are still going up.
“Our community deserves clean water, a protected environment, and total transparency. I will continue to hold them to account and will keep you updated.”
However, United Utilities has said that there have been no dry-day spills in Pendle and Clitheroe in the past six months.
A United Utilities spokesperson said: “There have been no dry-day spills in the Pendle and Clitheroe area in the past six months. In addition, storm overflow operations in Lancashire have fallen since 2023 with a combined 40% reduction in spills.
“As part of a wider £1bn investment across the county of Lancashire, we are investing more than £20m in the Pendle and Clitheroe constituency alone, including new storage tanks to capture and store wastewater during periods of heavy rainfall, upgrading wastewater treatment works, and installing sustainable drainage solutions that help divert surface water away from the sewer network.”
The company has also pointed to Clitheroe Wastewater Treatment Works, which has had an upgrade to the treatment process, and a huge stormwater tank was constructed in Nelson as part of a wider £77m upgrade.
The most recent publicly available data, from 2024, shows that storm overflows in Pendle and Clitheroe were used for a total of 3,781 hours in that year, with a total of 913 spills.
These figures represented a drop from 2023, when just over 1,000 spills were recorded.
A spill is classed by the Rivers Trust as 12 straight hours of raw sewage discharge, and any discharge in the subsequent 24-hour block is counted as one additional spill.
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At the start of autumn, Andy Burnham warned water companies against treating customers like “a blank cheque” after the regulator provisionally allowed them to unexpectedly further raise bills.
Millions of households are set to see unexpected increases to their water bills after the industry watchdog gave suppliers the provisional go-ahead for an extra £3.4 billion in spending.
It follows Ofwat already allowing water firms to increase bills by 36 per cent between 2025 and 2030.
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