United Utilities Faces Backlash Over Illegal Sewage Dumping in Windermere

The water company is accused of discharging millions of litres of raw sewage into England's largest lake without proper reporting over a three-year period.

BBC investigation reveals United Utilities illegally dumped between 143 million and 286 million litres of raw sewage into Lake Windermere from 2021 to 2023.
The company failed to report at least 102 million litres of these discharges to the Environment Agency, breaching its environmental permit.
Campaigners and politicians condemn the company's actions, citing cultural and environmental significance of Windermere and demanding stricter penalties.
United Utilities claims a technical issue caused non-compliant discharges and has since implemented changes to prevent future occurrences.
The Environment Agency has launched an investigation into the discharges, while Ofwat considers enforcement actions against the company.