Celebrities join the fight to save Windermere from water pollution

Matthew Holmes.
·2-min read
Lee Mack and Steve Coogan get the march underway with the help of local band, Drum Nation <i>(Image: Friends of the Lake District)</i>
Lee Mack and Steve Coogan get the march underway with the help of local band, Drum Nation (Image: Friends of the Lake District)

Lee Mack and Steve Coogan turned up in Windermere to show their support for a public demonstration on Saturday.

The march through the Cumbrian town was to raise awareness of sewage pollution in England's largest lake, particularly with the General Election one week away.

This came just over a year since the 'Save Windermere' campaign was pushed into the national limelight when thousands took part in a similar demonstration.

Read more: Michelin chefs join Save Windermere Campaign to raise funds | The Westmorland Gazette

Mack and Coogan were involved in the spectacle in 2023 and made sure to play a role in proceedings once again this weekend.

The march began at 10:00am outside the United Utilities Information Centre, with supporters making their way to the lake shore at Bowness.

The scenes in Windermere on Saturday (Image: Matt Staniek)

There, speeches were given from representatives of the Save Windermere group.

Whilst Mack and Coogan were in attendance and officially launched the march on Saturday morning, they are not the only celebrities to lend their support to the movement.

An open letter by Save Windermere was backed by notable names such as Chris Packham and Paul Whitehouse, and organisations including Campaign for National Parks, WildFish, The Countryside Charity (CPRE), and the Wildlife Trusts.

This was sent to all political parties and demanded a commitment to grant the lake with greater protection and ensure it’s long-term health for future generations.

People turned up in their numbers to show their support for the march once again (Image: Matt Staniek)

United Utilities have pledged an early start on investing nearly £20m to reduce storm-water spills into Windermere and aim to start this work before 2025.

The water company is building storage tanks at Ambleside, Elterwater and Hawkshead that are large enough to hold around 11 million litres of storm water.

The Windermere projects will increase storage capacity so that during heavy rainfall more of the sewer flows can be treated.

A United Utilities spokesperson said: "The factors affecting water quality in Windermere are complex and without targeted action by multiple sectors, we will not see the changes we all want.

"We are playing our part as we continue to improve and upgrade our operations and their contribution to the overall health of Windermere."

 

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