Sunderland City Council writing to Environment Secretary over sewage concerns

City council bosses will write to Northumbrian Water and the Environment Agency demanding action to reduce the “number and volume of outflows” at Seaburn, Roker, Hendon and in the River Wear.

The letter will request a public inquiry be held into the local sewage system by the Environment Agency.

It was also agreed the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs would be written to in an attempt to prevent bonus payments going to water company bosses until the issue is addressed.

It comes after an initial motion put forward by Liberal Democrat councillors at the latest meeting of Sunderland City Council said “action needs to be taken to address the failures of privatised water companies operating in England”.

Councillor Niall Hodson, Lib Dem group leader, said: “Untreated sewage is pouring into the North Sea and the River Wear here in Sunderland, it’s disgusting and it is an ecological crisis.

“It’s unquestionably a national problem, in fact it’s a national scandal.

“We have to be the ones raising the alarm and taking the challenge to our water company and the Government, we can’t afford to stand idly by because we are already seeing the consequences.”

An amendment from Conservative councillor James Doyle was then proposed, and ultimately accepted, to “strengthen” the motion and align it with work the North Sunderland Area Committee has been doing on the issue.

His party colleague Councillor Michael Hartnack said: “Since 2017 the sewage problem has become significantly worse and Sunderland council has been complicit in allowing the continuance of this problem.”

Councillors also hit out at the high bonuses Northumbrian Water chiefs have received during the time which pollution has been occurring.

The motion stated “no one should be paid a bonus for long term and endemic failure with no satisfactory solution in sight”.

Several Labour councillors at the meeting voiced their support for the motion, which was unanimously backed, adding Government bosses need to do more.

Councillor Denny Wilson said: “We’re victims here in Sunderland, we’ve got to sort it out.”

Councillors also requested that Northumbrian Water commission an independent survey of the sewage outflows into the North Sea off Sunderland.

Environment Agency reporting data presented to the meeting stated water companies in England have “recorded 772,000 sewage dumping events in 2020 and 2021”.

Councillors heard across the Northumbrian Water area there have been 69,048 “sewage dumping events” reported to the Environment Agency in the same time period.

Northumbrian Water Limited, responding, stressed the network is operating correctly, legally and within the parameters set out by Government.

A spokesperson said: “At times of heavy rainfall all water companies use storm overflows as a relief valve on our sewer network to protect the homes of customers and the environment from sewer flooding.

“Such discharges happen with both permission and scrutiny from the Environment Agency.

“During and after heavy rainfall conditions, storm overflows discharge what is mostly rainwater, mixed with some of the contents of our sewer network, from the area affected.

“While studies in the region have shown the contents of these discharges to be as little as less than one per cent wastewater, with this percentage decreasing if the spill continues, we know that they can be very visible due to items such as wet wipes and sanitary products.

“We have installed sewer level monitors at over 99 per cent of our storm overflows for pollution prevention and operational reasons, and will be at 100 per cent well in advance of the regulator deadline of December 2023.

“Through this monitoring we ensure storm overflows are operating as they are designed to do in storm conditions.

“This also gives us the opportunity to respond quickly to any issues, for example sending out teams to clean any beaches impacted.

“All of the bathing waters in the Sunderland area are rated as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ in the latest Defra classifications – the highest possible classifications. This represents a leading position nationally.”

They added a “huge level of investment” has gone into improving waters in the North East over the last two decades.

This included the Sunderland area seeing more than £75million with upgrades to the sewer network and improvements to the Whitburn and Roker area, and treatment works at Hendon.