Sewage campaign battle bus arrives in Wensleydale
Surfers Against Sewage lend their support to the new campaign group looking to clean up the River Ure
Wensleydale became the latest destination for the Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) battle bus this morning in support of the cleaner River Ure campaign.
On the way to Friday’s hustings at Richmond, the campaigners stopped at Aysgarth to highlight sewage pollution in the river.
The event was organised by Richard Loutoka who is on the interim committee of the Health of the River Ure group of interested local residents. At its open meeting at Leyburn Methodist Church Hall at 6pm on Tuesday, June 25 it is intended to formally launch this group and choose a name.
The moves follow the recent public meeting where more than 100 people raised their concerns that the “Ure was becoming the Wensleydale sewer”.
By the end of this month the River Ure will have its own group of citizens’ science volunteers following in the wake of the Nidd Action Group and Save our Swale.
Many of those who attended the first meeting sponsored by the Association of Rural Communities expressed an interest is seeing such a group formed, with over 35 willing to assist with water sampling from Appersett to Ripon.
Some then met in Leyburn last Friday, June 14 to prepare for setting up the group and six are willing to form a committee.
They were joined by David Clayden, chairman of the Nidd Action Group, who described how their group was set up. There was also information from Save our Swale.
At the meeting on Friday it was pointed out that local planning authorities, and especially the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, should be more proactive in protecting the rivers from pollution.
There was considerable concern that the ageing treatment plants along the River Ure were already no longer able to cope with the amount of sewage and yet more housing estates and holiday lodge developments were being approved.
“How can you encourage more tourists to come with more overnight stays if the rivers are so polluted?” one asked.
And another pointed out that signs should be put up at favourite bathing places to warn people about the danger from polluted water, as proposed in Richmond.
There was concern about how the dairy industry has changed within the Dale with cattle kept indoors for much of the year, generating large amount of slurry that is spread on the flood plain and close to the river in huge quantities with obvious signs of green algae building up in the river this year already.
The ploughing out of the biodiversity-rich wildflower meadows and planting with ryegrass has fundamentally changed the Ure catchment area and more needs to be done to encourage farmers to accept the impact they have on the river Ure and realise that those that work and manage the land are a vitally important to ensure the recovery of the river.
How Surfers Against Sewage are involved
Over the last 30 years the SAS has grown into one of the UK’s most successful marine conservation and campaigning charities. It states “For people to thrive and live life to the fullest, the ocean must thrive too”.
And it can’t do that if our rivers are discharging polluted water into the oceans. Which is why so many in Wensleydale intend to set up a group to protect the River Ure – and to work alongside other groups such as Richmond’s Save Our Swale.
Save Our Swale has worked with SAS to organise the Hustings at 7pm in Barries Ices car park in Richmond: “We must let [parliamentary] candidates know the strength of feeling about this in Richmond and how much the river means to us all! Our demand is that it is protected for recreation and wildlife and want to see real commitments from those standing to be our MP to clean it up and stop pollution for profit!”
Tickets for the hustings tomorrow can be booked for free here.
The next public meeting to discuss next actions for the Ure is on at 6pm on Tuesday, June 25 at Leyburn Methodist church hall. Charlotte Simons of the Yorkshire Dales River Trust (YDRT) and Clare Beasant, Yorkshire Water’s River Health Improvement Manager, are expected to attend.