the local LOBBYIST

KAREN SHACKLETON, ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE ILKLEY CLEAN RIVER GROUP, LED THE CAMPAIGN TO GET THE FIRST DESIGNATED RIVER BATHING SITE IN THE UK

“The fastest way to see change was to get our stretch of the river designated as a bathing water site”

“It was horrific – I saw this huge grey/brown plume of sewage pumping into our river. An angler told me, ‘I’m not catching fish, just rubbish.’ I discovered that the Environment Agency permits the release of raw sewage into rivers after exceptional rainfall to stop sewage treatment plants being overloaded. But I couldn’t accept, ‘Oh well, it’s legal,’ so I formed the Ilkley Clean River Group to take action. People had seen sewage discharged after 20 minutes’ rain – hardly exceptional! But when it’s raining, people tend to go home, so it goes unnoticed. I grew up swimming in that river, and couldn’t watch children playing in it, knowing it was potentially contaminated. Our testing found that E. coli levels were more than 40 times beyond the limit for bathing-quality water in places.

The fastest way to see change was to try to get our stretch of the river designated as a bathing water site – the Environment Agency would then have to test the water weekly and put up signs to say if it was safe for swimming. Before, there wasn’t a designated site on a UK river. Freshwater life is as important as marine life. We see fish, kingfishers, mayflies – sand martins come from Africa to feed on them. We don’t appreciate what’s on our doorstep.

More than 100 volunteers counted people paddling, playing and swimming in the river in summer last year to show DEFRA it was being used as a bathing site. One day, there were 1,700! We couldn’t believe it when we were granted bathing water site status – now the sewage infrastructure will be upgraded to clean up the river. We’re hoping it sets a precedent. If we can do it, anyone can.”