Stop Sewage Polluting the Ouseburn
Keeping up the pressure to clean up the Ouseburn
Liberal Democrats are campaigning locally and nationally to end sewage pollution of our rivers, lakes and coastline. Here in Newcastle, Northumbrian Water have said that they will invest in new facilities to stop untreated sewage flowing into the Ouseburn after heavy rainfall. We need to keep up the pressure to ensure that they deliver on their promises as soon as possible.
Stop Sewage Pollution in the Ouseburn
Northumbrian Water have said they are going to tackle sewage pollution in the Ouseburn in Newcastle, but we need to keep up the pressure on the water company, the regulators and the Council to take action as soon as possible. Sign up below to become part of the campaign.
The Campaign So Far
The Lib Dems' campaign to clean up the Ouseburn is beginning to see results. Northumbrian Water are planning to invest over £14 million to reduce sewage spills into the Ouseburn after heavy rain.
The water company plans to re-engineer two sewage outfalls that discharge into the Ouseburn near Salters Bridge - just to the north of Jesmond Dene. The plans are part of a major investment programme to improve water quality in our rivers and along the North East coastline over the next five years. However, it is hoped that work on the Ouseburn outfalls could commence before the end of 2025. The company has also removed over 40 tonnes of sludge to increase the capacity of the sewage system.
Newcastle Liberal Democrats have campaigned for the clean up of the Ouseburn since early 2024 - with questions to Council leaders and a motion, supported all opposition councillors, debated in the City Council back in September, followed by a 1,200 name petition submitted in October. Alongside this, the Lib Dems have held a number of meetings directly with Northumbrian Water pushing for action.
Despite the progress, there is still a need to keep up the pressure on the water company, the regulators and the Council to continue to clean up our rivers.
Background on the Campaign
The Ouseburn starts to the north of Newcastle, near the airport, and runs through Kingston Park, Fawdon, Gosforth, Jesmond Dene, Heaton and the Ouseburn Valley, entering the Tyne just east of the city centre. Recent research has shown it is heavily polluted, particularly after heavy rain and local Liberal Democrats have launched a campaign early in 2024 to clean it up, alongside colleagues campaigning for similar action across the country.
Pollution along the Ouseburn
A major cause of the pollution in the Ouseburn is untreated sewage, which is allowed to enter the river during heavy rainfall from a series of sewage outfall pipes along the length of the river, controlled by Northumbrian Water. In 2023, raw sewage was discharged directly into the Ouseburn on over 275 occasions, with the cumulative duration of over 960 hours. This was more than double the length of discharges in 2022. The latest figures for discharges in 2024 should be published shortly.
You can find out the locations of the outfall pipes and statistics on these pollution incidents by visiting The Rivers Trust website.
As well as historical data on sewage discharges, Northumbrian Water now produce “near real-time” information on storm overflows which indicates potential sewage discharges. This can be found by following this link: Storm Overflow Map
A research study by scientists at Newcastle University, conducted during 2021 in Jesmond Dene and published in 2023, found that water discharged from storm overflows contained a high concentration of faecal bacteria – about one hundred times higher than the acceptable standard for bathing water. One of the authors also published a guide on how to spot the signs of pollution.
Playing in the water can lead to illness
Many people enjoy walking and relaxing along the Ouseburn, particularly in Jesmond Dene, and it is not unusual to see children and dogs paddling in the water on warm days – but they risk contracting diarrhoea or another gastrointestinal disease. Others say that they avoid sitting or walking close to the river in hot weather due to the stench of sewage.
Long term plans but water bills up by over 20%
Led by the Reece Foundation, who funded the research by Newcastle University, there are long term plans to develop The Ouseburn Way as a major feature for recreation and travel through the city, but the immediate priority is to stop the sewage pollution.
Northumbrian Water have met with Lib Dem campaigners on a number of occasions over the last year to discuss their investment programme for 2025-2030 which is intended to address some of the worst pollution causes. Typical water charges for Northumbrian Water customers rose by over 20% in April 2025 - in large part intended to pay for the investment plans approved by the regulator, OFWAT.
Still campaigning for other action
The Environment Agency is not required to regularly test the water in the Ouseburn during the summer, as it does not have bathing water status. Following pressure from the Liberal Democrats, the Government announced 27 new bathing sites across England in February 2024, but sites like the Ouseburn are not covered. The Liberal Democrats environment spokesperson, Tim Farron MP, who lived near the Ouseburn when he studied in Newcastle, said; “This is yet another half-baked announcement, which does not ban water companies from dumping sewage into bathing water”. Lib Dems locally and nationally are still campaigning for these changes to regulations to apply to all water courses, lakes and beaches which are used by people and pets.