Environment Secretary Steve Reed has pledged to ensure “only rainwater” enters England’s largest lake.
On a visit to Windermere in Cumbria he said the government was “committed” to the clean up as part of its ‘Plan for Change’ scheme, which aims to upgrade crumbling water infrastructure using private investment.
Part of the Lake District National Park Unesco World Heritage Site, Windermere is home to more than 14,000 people and its scenery attracts an estimated seven million visitors per year.
Reed said it was “wholly unacceptable that this lake was allowed to be contaminated with so much pollution – more than 140 million litres.”
He said the government had secured an initial £200m to start work on diverting sewage away from Windermere and into treatment facilities to clean it up.
Campaigners say pollution damages the environment, causes harmful algal blooms and even kills fish.
Restoring ‘natural beauty’
Local groups and organisations – including Save Windermere, United Utilities and the Environment Agency (EA) – have set up a feasibility study to look into what is needed to eliminate sewage discharges into the lake from successful examples from around the world.