Wrapping up Indie News Week with a tall tale
Our special mini-series comes to a close with a round-up of eco news from around North Yorkshire and the North East
Good morning! I’m Sarah Hartley and this is the final special issue of The Northern Eco coming to you in Indie News Week 2026! As you’ve received this newsletter then either you subscribed, or someone forwarded it to you. If the latter, then you can click on this handy little button below to subscribe.
Well, the end of this special week is here for us! How was it for you? I’d love to hear from you. We’ve brought you five special newsletters with ten articles, two videos and ten links to other sources of eco news in our region. These have covered everything from culture to campaigning, energy to art and I’d love to hear what you thought.
The point of Indie News Week is an opportunity for independent journalism outlets like ourselves to showcase our work - and raise some money in the process. If you’ve enjoyed the special editions, please do consider joining us with a subscription or donation. We can only continue thanks to our paying subscribers so thank you for your support!
News around the region
💦 A local vet has identified a repeated link between sewage discharges and illness in dogs. I’m supporting the investigation, says Alison Pake at NorthEast Bylines, because this raises serious questions about water quality, public health, and environmental safety along our coastline.
💦 A water company has pledged to restore Windermere to its natural levels of cleanliness through a seven-year mega-project that will divert pollution away from England’s largest lake, writes Adam Vaughan at The Times. In a significant victory for campaigners, United Utilities has said for the first time that it will ensure that only rainwater enters the lake, which is in a Unesco world heritage area.
🌏 Further to our story yesterday about the Durham Energy Council, Graeme Anderson at the Climate Post has done a splendid long read looking at the project in the more depth. Working-class voices in County Durham’s former pit communities call for renewable hope is recommended breakfast reading today!
🔥 North Yorkshire energy company Drax has been cleared by the Financial Conduct Authority over making misleading claims concerning the use of wood pellets to generate power, reports Darren Greenwood at the York Press. This is a different complaint to the one still with the Advertising Standards Authority.
💨 Opponents to the proposed Hope Moor Wind Farm have organised another public meeting - this time in Richmond next week. We have the Local Democracy Reporting Service story in our dedicated section.
🌎 A North Sea carbon storage plan has hit a milestone as the test well was hailed a success, reports Gavin Engelbrecht at The Northern Echo. The well, drilled at a site known as BC39, is part of the NEP’s work to develop additional offshore storage capacity for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in Teesside and the Humber.
⚠️ An environmental campaign group is taking legal action against the government over proposals that it claims could fast-track chemical hazard classifications from other countries with lower standards into UK law, reports Pippa Neill at The Guardian.
🪶 Campaigners hope the sound of booming bitterns will strengthen their case to prevent a luxury tourism and retirement development being built on a North Yorkshire nature reserve, Joe Willis, Local Democracy Reporter writes.
That’s it for now, we’ll be back on Tuesday as usual but, don’t forget, there’s plenty of stories you can browse on our website and via social media.
Just before you go, please can you cast a vote in the poll about the past week’s events.