A survey of Yorkshire Water customers by the Wild Waters Yorkshire campaign has highlighted concerns about sewage pollution, water company bonuses and the future ownership of the water industry.
The campaign says it gathered responses from 433 Yorkshire Water customers during September, largely through social media groups, as campaigners seek support from Yorkshire MPs ahead of proposed Clean Water legislation.
According to the survey, 92% of respondents said they were very concerned about sewage in rivers and seas, with a further 4.6% saying they were quite concerned.
The campaign also reported that 86% of respondents were very concerned about bonuses paid to Yorkshire Water’s chief executive, while 76% were very concerned about dividends paid by the company.
Wild Waters Yorkshire says it wants stronger regulation of water companies, tougher enforcement against pollution and greater investment in water infrastructure.
Concerns raised in Harrogate and Knaresborough
The campaign has supplied comments from people it identifies as constituents in Harrogate and Knaresborough, including concerns about local waterways.
One respondent said they had reported what they described as sewage leaks near Crimple Beck on four occasions to Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency and their local MP.
The respondent also raised concerns about pollution, investment in infrastructure and payments to senior water company staff.
These accounts reflect the experiences and views reported by individual survey participants and have not been independently verified.
Tom Gordon, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has also criticised Yorkshire Water following publication of the company’s annual report in July.
Tom Gordon, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough said:
Yorkshire Water are morally bankrupt. Pollution incidents yp 72 per cent in a single year, £88.8m in penalties from Ofwat, and a one-star rating from the Environment Agency on the way – yet the company still found millions in dividends for its foreign shareholders all while debt soared and customers’ bills went up… Yorkshire deserves so much better.
Calls for changes to water regulation
Wild Waters Yorkshire is calling for a major overhaul of water regulation, including replacing Ofwat and the Environment Agency with a single regulator.
The campaign also wants stronger enforcement against water companies responsible for pollution, greater accountability for executives and investment in infrastructure that keeps pace with housing development.
It argues that protections should extend beyond designated bathing waters to cover the wider range of activities people undertake in rivers, lakes and coastal waters.
The campaign says its analysis, carried out with Surfers Against Sewage, identified 7,368 occasions of what it describes as dry-weather sewage dumping by Yorkshire Water during the first six months of 2026, amounting to 445 hours in total.
These figures and the characterisation of the discharges are claims made by the campaign. The data and underlying methodology would need to be examined to establish the circumstances and regulatory status of the reported incidents.
Support for public ownership
The survey found that 81.3% of respondents supported water companies being nationalised and run in the public sector. The campaign says this reflects wider public opinion on water industry ownership.
It also reported that 76% of respondents said they walked or ran beside rivers, lakes or the sea, while 33% said they took part in wild swimming.
Wild Waters Yorkshire is a WhatsApp group coordinating campaigning activity on water quality in York and across Yorkshire. It says it is seeking to build support among the 50 Yorkshire MPs whose constituents are supplied by Yorkshire Water.
The survey was conducted among people who chose to participate, largely through social media groups. Its findings should therefore not be taken as representative of all Yorkshire Water customers.