20 pipes discovered to be polluting into River Aire in Leeds
Twenty pipes have been discovered to be polluting into the River Aire in North Leeds.
They were found by the Aire Rivers Trust, which has been working with local volunteers to identify and map out problem pipes which are sending sewage into the city’s waterways.
They assessed 295 pipes on the North Leeds stretch of the river, and identified 20 with pollution problems.
The issues have been reported to Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency.
Almost two-thirds of the 20 concerning pipes were caused by buildings that had incorrectly connected wastewater - sinks, toilets and washing machines - into surface water sewers that are only intended to send rainfall and road runoff into the Aire.
In some instances, multiple properties are misconnected to a single drain sending huge amounts of pollution into the river.
Sam Riley-Gunn, of the Aire Rivers Trust, said: "Our volunteers assessed five streams from Cookridge and Temple Newsham Park and found 20 suspect pipes, many of which have been found to be misconnections.
“They have been discharging into our river for many years without any treatment as a result of being incorrectly plumbed into the surface water network.
“It is vital the owners of those properties act to rectify their plumbing issues to help protect the Aire."
Yorkshire Water said it has been working with Leeds City Council and the Environment Agency to trace the problems to their source within the drainage network.
Where private homes and businesses were found to be the cause, the owners have been informed of their need to fix the problems.
Clare Beasant, river health improvement manager at Yorkshire Water, said: "Working with volunteer and local community groups is a key part of our commitment to improving the health of the region's watercourses.
“Identifying misconnections and tracing their source is the first step in this process and we have contacted the owners of the properties to notify them of their misconnection and their impact on the watercourse.
“We will revisit the areas again to check if action has been taken and, if not addressed, we will pass information to the local council and the Environment Agency."
Leeds City Council said it has also been working to fix any pollution problems and follow up where property owners or tenants do not fix their plumbing issues.