River Calder pollution: sewage levels depriving a generation of a rite of passage

River Calder pollution: councillors are right to go after those responsible for polluting Yorkshire's waterways

AN old adage goes that no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is never the same water nor he the same man, and that time-worn proverb could be said, at least partially, for the River Calder, but for all the wrong reasons.

In truth, no human - man, woman or child - ought to set foot in the Calder after it was cited at a full council meeting as being the second most polluted river in all of England, its waters regularly violated by sewage.

So prolific are the sewage spills into the watercourse and its upstream tributaries that worried councillors can only keep track of them by using a spreadsheet. One stated that in every single ward surrounding the Calder there have been sewage spills, with the River Ryburn and Black Brook thought to be amongst those most polluted.

Put simply: this has to stop. This newspaper applauds the commitment demonstrated by Calderdale Council to once and for all put a stop to this neglect and abuse of nature.

Readers of this newspaper will likely have fond memories of paddling for sticklebacks with makeshift nets in crystal clear waters with luscious green vegetation providing sanctuary for a menagerie of aquatic life. It was a rite of passage to do so and yet here we are in 2024 with rivers flowing through our communities that are filthy and dying.

It is an infuriating state of affairs that gives rise to an urgent question: who is responsible and when will they be held to account? Should concerned councillors’ alight upon guilty parties, they must be given the support of the authorities in bringing to book those depriving people of safe, clean, vibrant waterways.

Yorkshire is one of the most beautiful places on earth, with natural assets the envy of the world. Urgent action is needed to protect them.