The Harrogate Extinction Rebellion’s Poo Patrol took to the River Nidd in rowing boats on Sunday 15th June to raise awareness of the ongoing issue of the poor water quality in the River Nidd, one of Yorkshires most polluted rivers, just one day after the annual Knaresborough Bed Race where runners swim through the river as part of the race.
Since being granted bathing water status a year ago the River Nidd water has been tested weekly between May – September by the Environment Agency. On all the samples taken in 2024 the results were Poor quality with the bacterium Ecoli exceeding the safe levels of 900 cfus per 100ml, (on one of the tests they reached 9300 cfus). This year the status is Poor, and the advice from the Environment Agency is ‘Don’t swim’
Yorkshire Water have put our water bills up again in April with the average bill going up 29% to around £467.
58 year old horticulturist Anna Bryer said:
The River Nidd’s Lido in Knaresborough has shown high levels of these dangerous substances in the water. This is a river that’s used for the annual Knaresborough Bed Race. We should not ask runners to swim through a river when it’s such a huge health hazard, and not safe to swim in.
The river environment is being damaged beyond repair, and Yorkshire Water have put our bills up once again. Water is a basic human right that should be available to everyone, the water companies should be taken back into public ownership, nobody should be making a profit from water.
Arnold Warneken, North Yorkshire Councillor for the Green Party in Ouseburn Division, one of the rowers in the boats, added:
It’s time that Yorkshire Water realised that environmental protection is an opportunity and not a threat. The reason we want clean water is because of the huge benefits that safe rivers and seas bring to humanity.
Our protest was well received by holidaymakers and traders alike. Clean river water means more visitors, more income and more jobs.
The rivers are the veins carrying nature’s life blood and Yorkshire Water are injecting it with toxins killing it rendering life in it unsustainable.
Surely the shareholders should be starting to get the message that they will earn a greater return on their investment if they protect their assets. The purpose of a sewage system is to protect public health and it’s failing us miserably at the same time as bills are surging upwards.
