No facilities for River Wharfe bathers at Ilkley is ruining environment – Yorkshire Post Letters

YOUR article (The Yorkshire Post, August 23) lays most of the blame for the pollution of the river Wharfe at Ilkley on Yorkshire Water.

Do the Ilkley Clean River Campaign not think that they should also take some of the blame?

You cannot name somewhere an official bathing spot, have 2,000 people per day using this stretch of the river, not provide them with any toilet facilities 
and expect there to be no pollution.

Take a walk along the river bank towards Otley and you will see excrement, toilet paper and wipes around the trees as people relieve themselves where they can.

There are no public toilets in the vicinity.

The problem of litter is the same, provide large enough 
bins or skips and make sure 
that they are emptied on a 
daily basis, especially during 
the summer and at bank holidays.

If the weather is warm 
and fine this weekend, there 
will likely be an influx of 
visitors exacerbating the problems.

Ilkley residents know 
better than to frequent this stretch of the river during peak times, but more often than 
not we are left to clear up the mess.

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