Yorkshire rivers still beset by pollution damage

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show fewer than one in six of the region's rivers are meeting tough new European standards for pollution and biodiversity.

The Environment Agency said last week the past decade has been the best for Britain's rivers since the industrial revolution, rivers improving year on year and wildlife returning to areas where it has not been seen for many years.

But around 25 per cent of the rivers tested in Yorkshire last year were still rated as poor or worse for standards of chemical pollution and biodiversity.

And only 16 per cent were rated as good - the standard all English rivers are expected to meet by 2015 under European guidance.

The Yorkshire Post today reveals the most polluted stretches of river in the whole region, rated bad for every aspect of their well-being. They include three rivers located in the region's most iconic slice of countryside - the Yorkshire Dales.

But the picture is balanced by notable successes, including the return of salmon to the River Don as far inland as Doncaster.

The Environment Agency's senior planning officer for water quality in Yorkshire, Claire Reece, said: "We are not yet at good standards for many water bodies, so we have a huge amount of work to do.

"Some of the things that need to happen to allow water bodies to be rated good will have huge financial implications. In some cases they may never happen.

"But we have seen improvement year-on-year for a long time now.

"We should be very pleased we have improved waterways to the extent that we now have salmon coming up the rivers to Doncaster. That's the sort of achievement we can really be proud of."

The new European standards on river quality are far tougher than previous UK tests, including assessments of plant and insect activity as well as levels of phosphates, nitrates and chemical pollutants. Only 81 of the 497 stretches of tested across Yorkshire rated good - fewer than one in six.

A total of 127 stretches, almost a quarter, were rated as poor or worse last year and 13 were rated as bad in every category.

Ms Reece said: "We are certainly prioritising those rated bad and poor, but there is a lot of work to do. Each individual water body has its own set of problems.

"If you take Cudworth Dyke (near Barnsley) for example, there is some trade and industry on that water body which we think is part of the problem - so there are regulatory issues there to be resolved.

"But in other more rural cases you can see very acidic water coming off the moorland, giving the rivers a very high acid level.

"We can look at mitigation measures to improve that run-off, but some of these areas were drained for agriculture years ago and there is a decision to be made about just how far you want to keep taking things back to their natural state."

The Environment Agency announced last week that following 20 years of improvement works, Britain's rivers are currently in their best state for many decades.

But as the agency now faces budget cuts of 21 per cent, it also warned of "big challenges" ahead.

Comment: Page 12.

Yorkshire's most polluted waterways (all rated bad by the Environment Agency in every category) are:

Part of River Wharfe, near Conistone, Yorkshire Dales

Part of River Skirfare, near Arncliffe, Yorkshire Dales

The Fleet, near Malham, Yorkshire Dales

Fenay Beck, near Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield

Ea Beck, near Hemsworth, Wakefield

Cudworth Dyke, Barnsley;

Spital/Calow/Muster Brook, near Chesterfield

Hawke Brook, near Barlborough

Barmston/Skipsea Sea Drains, Skipsea, near Hornsea

Earls Dyke, Bridlington

The Foss/Moor Drain, Long Marston, near York

Part of River Hertford, near Staxton, Filey

Lowmoor Drain Catch, near Menthorpe, Selby

Exclusive Jack Blanchard