Steve Coogan Joins Lake Windermere Protesters Against Sewage Dumping

[@steverichmond7142]

The Lake District depends on tourism. £12 billion should go into the Lake District clean up, directly from shareholders.

[@robharris8844U]

Time for water to be re-nationalised we cannot afford foreign interests being involved in a vital utility.

[@dolceanstar]

Ironic that several foreign, publicly owned, utility companies, own shares in our privately owned utility companies in order to keep costs down for their own nationals. Deutsche Bahn, for example, can charge 40% less for travel in Germany because we are subsidising them with our fares and taxes.

[@robharris8844U]

@@dolceanstar And that of course is our three main utilities water, electricity and gas. Surprise surprise France and Germany, ban their utilities being bought by foreign entities!.... -No wonder they run the EU.

[@ColinMaxwell-oc1ok]

Totally agree

[@Withnail1969]

doesnt matter who owns it, its not built for the current population number.

[@robharris8844U]

@@Withnail1969 The population is growing all the time 67 million at least so the forward and control needs to be upgraded and fit to purpose, it obviously is not at this time and it is critical.

[@abbott7704]

Stop paying your water bills. Legally these corporations cannot by law turn off your water

[@strick9red]

This sewage dump should be classified as a hate crime, hate for our beautiful country, it's a shame. 😢

[@Omegon8536]

bet you wouldn't say that about the people invading here by dinghy.

[@cooldad7297]

Both are self inflicted. Don’t moan when you don’t like the outcomes yet still vote in the criminals..

[@saorsa5]

You mean England Britain is not a country . Scottish water is nationalised

[@oneoflokis]

💯👍

[@oneoflokis]

​@@Omegon8536This is a much more severe situation than a few dinghies!

[@julierogers1155]

Wishing UNITED UTILITIES all the legal disaster that it deserves. Unbelievable that it is LEGAL to dump toxic waste into Lake Windermere!

[@BillDavies-ej6ye]

Capitalism just keeps giving.

[@DM-kv9kj]

I agree but then without fundamental change, all this will eventually do is then push UU to then just start charging more and more to recover their legal losses...

[@jankongtantikul6444]

The first question should be why sewage is going into Lake Windermere in the first place?

[@fionacarroll5562]

It's because our sewage system was built in the Victorian age and can't cope.

[@andrewbarry1380]

go and educate yourself then you;ll know

[@terencemullins1422]

​@@fionacarroll5562yep, and 10 million people who shouldn't be here.

[@elainekerslake6865]

Why not. It's going into everything else Thatcher's loose conditions for privatisation.

[@andrewelliott4436]

​@@elainekerslake6865 Thatcher is dead. Why not deal with the present?

[@satsatdown]

Why on earth are we having to protest over corporate misbehaviour, clean nature is a right not to be abused by these big companies, the utility companies minimum requirement is to be clean.

[@siddiqachowdhury1389]

This is corruption

[@elainekerslake6865]

Not required by government though.

[@unknownband1308]

They should be fined or on prison

[@pauloneill9880]

You'd think. Thatchers profit mind sickness infected almost all UK businesses.

[@ReCheck_WotTheFluck]

​@@unknownband1308 What fine them 1-5% of what they saved over the yrs. As for prison got no chance. The game is rigged. And ppl just really don't care. As long as they can watch programmes that tell them what think, their happy. Should of been outrage and more for what happened 2020-2022. Most ppl forgot that scam/test to see what the sheep would do. And the sheep done what they were told and now their just about to sign over british control to WEF and WHO.

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

The CEO’s contemptuous grin while waiting to speak speaks volumes.

[@frontenac5083]

And he's not the CEO: speaks volumes about you not being able to comprehend what you watch. Quite scary, really.

[@suecaddickcoxhooker1159]

​@@frontenac5083 bless your cotton socks

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

@@frontenac5083 Head of Regional Engagement then. Representative / mouthpiece for the company. Speaks volumes about the pedantry of your defence of this company, eh?

[@dolceanstar]

@@frontenac5083 Talk about fiddling with yourself whilst Rome burns!

[@elainekerslake6865]

Says it all really

[@mickyg6981]

Well done Fergal, Steve and co, absolute disgrace, ban them from paying out to share holders and take the profits off them to pay for the work.

[@nigelthorn2062]

Monopolies like water and trains shouldn't be in the hands of foreign companies or any for that matter.

[@xprs1257]

Corrupt corrupt corrupt. Just like everything else in our world

[@DM-kv9kj]

The word corrupt seems to have lost all meaning at this point. This is beyond mere corruption, it's evil. Pumping sewage into one of the crown jewels of one of our finest national park lake preserves like this, especially on such a scale by a legitimate business, is evil. They are serious criminals who should ALL be stripped of their wealth and locked up in prison to make a clear statement to the business world. United Utilities should then also be liquidated and the UK's water supplies re-nationalised into public ownership.

[@timsmith1278]

When a politician or someone else in a position of power answers an awkward question with "SO", you just know you're not going to get a proper answer.

[@JonDingle]

So United Utilities can dump sewage into Lake Windermere but speed boats are banned unless they control speed to under 10mph because of pollution. Even the brown floaters United Utilities dump in the water break that limit as soon as they hit the water. It is an absolute disgrace.

[@unknownband1308]

Well said and agreed

[@stephentoner2902]

@@unknownband1308 ferkn unbelievable!

[@jeztaylor6308]

Steve and Fergal, keep at them, its disgusting whats happening.

[@Withnail1969]

its pointless. the water companies arent doing this for laughs. its unavoidable unless the whole system is rebuilt which we cant afford.

[@martinbennett9578]

Worse than a politicians response! LIARS!!

[@pgrothschild]

One of the drawbacks of capitalism, profits over everything

[@richardyates7280]

Socialist systems have an even worse record

[@jamesbradshaw3389]

It is more to do with very bad and crooked management at the very top plus a lack of proper oversight from government

[@yammer69]

Unlike Socialism, where eventually you run out of other peoples money to spend.

[@leavemyrightsalone]

Might as well just stop paying money and dump in the river.

[@Degjoy]

That’s hilarious! And so true!

[@siddiqachowdhury1389]

How sad, why our government don't get the water companies to get the repairs cost from their shareholders? This is very sad

[@onlineo2263]

The water companies are probably owned offshore by Tory donors.

[@stevo728822]

The people really to blame for this situation are the government and OFWAT. They are the ones who make and enforce the regulations.

[@GrantCoppin-Brown]

Very well said and amount of things, Ofwat & Government Grin at , is Unbelievable!!

[@terryjacob8169]

OFWAT, like a majority of government regulatory bodies, always appear more concerned with protecting the commercial interests of the privatised companies than safeguarding the wider interests of the public and nation.

[@jujutrini8412]

Does anyone remember when Britain had the filthiest beaches/coastal water/rivers and waterways in Europe in the nineties? The Tories were in power then too. Coincidence?

[@suecaddickcoxhooker1159]

Coincidence also that your probably not a Tori voter

[@julierogers1155]

@@suecaddickcoxhooker1159 Your comment contains the maturity of a 7 year old.

[@stash.]

Russia and Bulgaria are in europe also so i highly doubt these european statistics

[@rabnori4836]

Blue flag beaches.😊

[@Omegon8536]

only because britain was the only country to bother checking its beaches/coastal water/rivers. everyone else didn't bother. don't trust anything the eu says.

[@alexm4567]

We are with you Steve. Good man 😊.

[@GraemeWight-wx3xz]

Uniteds shareholders must have their dividend. Our bills are to rise by 40% too. They are criminals.

[@grahammawdsley4864]

The bank won't lend you cash for free why should share holders? Asking for a friend??

[@GraemeWight-wx3xz]

@@grahammawdsley4864 : why should we buy shareholder products by that same token. Public utilities should not be vehicles for the parasitism of the pin stripe suit mob.

[@EnglishSaxons]

Dont pay

[@heatherhinde6544]

NATIONALISE water.

[@grahammawdsley4864]

@@GraemeWight-wx3xz it's cheaper to use the shareholders money than to borrow from the banks . Borrowing from the banks would cost us all more 🤷

[@opindras.bangerh129]

We should never spill sewage in our beautiful lakes. This is so irresponsible by the sewage companies. My wife and I went there over 25 years and it is a beautiful part of England. These companies should be held responsible and we should not be forking the bill as tax payers!!

[@ianforrest6728]

And the rich get richer at the cost to the people

[@grahammawdsley4864]

You can buy shares and get rich too 👍🤦

[@greentroll9326]

that guy was trying so hard not to answer the question

[@Nash0303]

Its actually disgusting what corporations are able to get away with in this country. And this is the first world, is it?

[@Leaffycottage]

🤢🤮absolutely disgusting. Don’t usually agree with his politics but 100% behind him on this 👏👏👏👏👏

[@davidhooper1767]

You drop a bit of paper on the floor accidentally and get a fine but water companies can legally dump sewage into lakes and rivers.

[@unknownband1308]

Yes and the same if you park in the wrong place

[@davidhooper1767]

@@unknownband1308 That's why I don't drive they can't put a ticket on my bicycle.

[@Eyespy743]

How has it allowed to become a problem ??? United Utilities previously known as Northwest water have always been in charge, so why have they allowed these problems to arise and escalate? Sheer neglect and mismanagement but senior management and executives collect salaries, annual pay rises and bonuses regardless of performance. Returning the water utility back into public ownership is the only way forward.

[@unknownband1308]

It was better when it was still north west

[@heatherhinde6544]

and this is after they have diverted our water from Ennerdale to satisfy Mancunians etc.

[@davidbailey4544]

I bet half the investors are MPs and they get a investors dividend thats why nothing is done about it !!!!

[@grahammawdsley4864]

Anyone can buy shares including you

[@AnitaGhosh-e1y]

Good for you. Keep the pressure up. The name of the game is greed and profiteering. More dividends for all?😅

[@rachelnguyen1655]

We all need to STOP paying our water bills until these companies completely stop doing this. Never mind what the "system '. Cutting by fifty per cent is not good enough.

[@sunseeker9581]

If only it was that easy

[@rachelnguyen1655]

@@sunseeker9581 if everyone stopped paying they would soon take notice

[@chrysalis4126]

Susanna is on the ball this morning! Go girl!

[@John-pp2jr]

Unable to give a straight answer.chris Mathews.

[@John-pp2jr]

Don't visit Windermere sewage pond you may pick up a disease.

[@dps8435]

Same with Anglian water,worst for leaks and dumping sewage ,got fined and told to give every customer two or three quid and promptly put up bills 10.1 %,highest in country ,they are nothing but scummy thieves.

[@martinbennett9578]

Vile disgusting behavior!

[@KevinSmith-ki7yl]

These people like politicians are well schooled in the art of never giving a straight answer to a question.

[@martynpope8218]

L.Windemere was a major beauty spot. It's unthinkable that they're able to do this.

[@ianherd569]

Well, it's greed innit!

[@robshaw3655]

Letting so many extra people into the country isnt helping.

[@grahammawdsley4864]

We are not allowed to talk about that tho 🤣

[@therivalryan]

Yeah all those millions of people setting up in the lake district!! 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@garethjenkins6273]

Turds floating in our beautiful lakes and rivers, this is Thatcher's legacy - as well as being a perfect metaphor for Thatcherism!

[@EmGee67]

The United Utilities spokesman should go into politics. He can't answer any of the questions.

[@majorbruster5916]

Where do these shareholders live? Not in the lake district I bet.

[@garyarnold3141]

The evasion of the spokesman is disgraceful. There should be no sewage being pumped into Lake Windermere. In addition we are finding that polluted tap water is causing infections and people are being told to boil the water in some areas. If this isn't enough reason to change the government, I don't know what is.

[@sharonjames2041]

😢PROFITS OVER PEOPLES 😢 ❤

[@unknownband1308]

All they think of is money 💰 that is worth more to them than life’s

[@janetKershaw-r5y]

Leave this beautiful lake well alone. We swim in it!

[@robharris8844U]

🥔Captains log 2024: Now you are not swimming in it alone

[@kathydoyle1857]

Thats what he means about "needing the money up front"..... from us, the customers. So what have they been doing with all the "up front" money we customers have been paying them over the last 10 years at least?...... Because the prices go up every year......where is the money ending up? These greedy corporates need prosecuting to the hilt!

[@graemewiltshire312]

I’m not a big fan of Steve Coogan but he has my support over this, disgusting what’s happening.

[@rolos140670]

why would you clean it up, if your business model is to pollute it

[@andrewbarry1380]

good questioning at last

[@emdiar6588]

I hope this destroys the tourism industry for a couple of years, and every business in the area sues the company for loses. See if that doesn't shake things up a bit.

[@grahammawdsley4864]

And how would we sue anyone without the money from tourism 🤦

[@emdiar6588]

@@grahammawdsley4864 Well, usually a law firm puts together a pro bono class action suit at their own expense on behalf of a large group of plaintiffs and recoups their fees from the liable party if they win.

[@emdiar6588]

@@grahammawdsley4864 At the very least, it should make voters in the area consider the fact that all of this is the result of greedy Tories, privatising essential public services and turning the whole of the UK into a cash cow for themselves and their off shore Tax dodging cronies.

[@Thanksforbeinere]

Customer s can go somewhere else, just all stop paying the bill,watch them clean it then

[@SylviaBarker-cu9bf]

How very disgusting.

[@grwuk]

What is happening to this country. Ive never known such weak and useless politicians

[@SP-lw3bq]

Make them drink it !!!!!

[@MegaTubescreamer]

united utilities management should be prosecuted and jailed for this deliberate environmental disaster.

[@AnubisX1]

I'm not paying more for my water bills, when it is been proven that the English have already paid enough to do these repairs, but what did they do with that money hmmm....... shareholders. Why was water privatised, when there is zero competition? It should be publicly owned.

[@bereal6590]

Thatchers legacy, and yeah ur right, they should pay it's their 'business'. You don't pay shareholders FIRST

[@Thanksforbeinere]

What about all the other lakes,rivers stream s canals,full of shi te not just windermere

[@jiggermast]

Well said Steve!

[@paullangin4499]

All shareholders should be forced to swim in the lake regularly.

[@martinhawley2401]

Bill the share owners for the clean up aswell get rich scheme for some not the vast majority of us plebs

[@jexxajess6837]

Agree we should clean up the lakes in total, not just Windermere. But get really nervous when bandwagon Coogan steps up. Opportunist to the end, doesn't do anything for anyone unless there's something in it for him. Wish the campaign all the success...

[@jonboymk1bridgemaryfront889]

Gaslight ING at its best, the bloke who works for a polluting water company

[@frontenac5083]

*What about the sewage spilling into London's streets every weekend? Any plans to protest against that?*

[@robharris8844U]

London is not Britain, -sorry.

[@lot1008us1]

Where does the drinking water come from in the North West?

[@dogtails7614]

Absolutely everybody stop paying your water bills. Starve United Utilities of money and they will either get the message or go bust.

[@Hackney_Boy-DoesntReadReplies]

If you profit from this you are compliant. Time to name and shame their shareholders.

[@julieholdcroftbetty8520]

It isn't rainwater that's polluting the lake...

[@Jontyfarmer]

Theres way too much poo poo in our rivers and lakes. Someone needs be held accountable. Stop putting poo poo into the water

[@siadali7673]

Absolutely outrageous situation

[@Ayeright.]

Why is there a disgraced MP's expenses fiddler presenting GMB?

[@heatherthompson3670]

He’s obviously a budding politician! Plenty of words and evasion of truth!

[@paulmorris8775]

Wow never knew about this absolutely disgusting behaviour where are the environment agency id get a fine £1000 fine for fishing without a licence, And the fishermen look out pollution for the waterways of the country Disgusting

[@tonks9013]

Share holders r to blame 4 everything from water trains, gas electricity, ect, and United utilities should be sued so much that they r bankrupt, and the Share holders have to cough up

[@grahammawdsley4864]

You can buy shares too

[@pinballwizard6906]

What a disgrace keep our country clean

[@steveb5111]

Give an inch take a mile springs to mind. Sewage dumping should never have been allowed full stop.

[@samlawless62]

Isn't illegal to knowing dump sewage

[@frontenac5083]

Hmm... What? English version?

[@samlawless62]

@@frontenac5083 I thought is was illegal to dump sewage knowingly dump it in a a river, pond, lake ect.

[@terencemullins1422]

In the last 30yrs our population has risen by 20million, that's the real problem

[@waltermcphee3787]

and the privatised water companies then get more income from a higher customer base which should have been invested to cope with the increased sewage from the expected population increase.

[@terencemullins1422]

@@waltermcphee3787 exactly

[@_Melian_Dialogue_]

Instead they just took profits for the shareholders ​@@waltermcphee3787

[@Olan...]

Everyone should cancel direct debits until positive action is taken.

[@ConsumerWatchdogUK]

Step 1: Release sewage Step 2: Tell public via the media Step 3: Public get upset Step 4: Labour promise to "nationalise" Step 5: Company sell shares to government at a huge premium

[@jonmatthews4254]

Fact Check: Thames Water are the UK's biggest polluter.

[@user-ni5eu1yi1h]

United utilities Should be declared an illegal company and take them to court for the crime they are committing.

[@dm4728]

Absolute failure of privatisation of utilities.

[@beesafe6234]

this is totally unacceptable

[@SIXITHS]

Thatcher's grift that keeps on giving...

[@TransoceanicOutreach]

I honestly don't see what this has to do with the pedestrianization of Norwich city centre.

[@GG-ml3vr]

It might help wheelchair access.

[@briwire138]

You're wrong!

[@GG-ml3vr]

@@briwire138 Its an Alan Partridge quote.

[@briwire138]

@@GG-ml3vr So was that, have a look at his party when he's got the staff in to say goodbye to the Travel Tavern.

[@shauncorless8965]

It's all about the money 🤑,,,why clean it up we making million,s 😮

[@truckerfromreno]

I went to Lake Windermere about 10 years ago and it did not look like England - it looked more like Calcutta.

[@Eyespy743]

I was in Windermere last summer, thought I was in the middle east with the numbers of niqabs and burkas.

[@leechilds3725]

I thought we were going green in this country? Ffs

[@saorsa5]

What country England you mean .Britain is not a country Scottish water is nationalised

[@IvanMectin]

As usual, it comes down to greed and a totally inept government. Gross negligence.

[@uk145]

This is in the middle of a national park and registered AONB. This should obviously be an untouchable. If its happening here, it can be literally anywhere.

[@twwoody813]

Utterly sickening 🤒 We are Fffd.

[@SootyHunt]

Absolutely shocking behaviour !

[@yummemys4608]

30 years!! And legally too. OMD😮

[@heatherhinde6544]

What is important is what we get as customers.

[@Newtredegarhistory]

No care for environment only care shown is pleasing its shareholders 😢

[@grahammawdsley4864]

You can buy shares

[@RealmsOfThePossible]

I too am very much against the pedestrianisation of Lake Windermere

[@earthstick]

I think what the spokeman is saying is that rain run-off that goes down roadside drains, enters the same pipes as sewage water from the household. The two are not separated. So when there is heavy rain, the sewage treatment cannot process the drainage quick enough, and it gets diverted into the lake. The solution most likely to work is to have a separate drainage system for run-off. Such a system could be used to fill reservoirs with clean water, while the sewage system would flow into the sewage treatment plants. The sewage flow would stay constant and predictable regardless of rainfall.

[@PeterCoutts-rc9mf]

That's right. The problem is that it's a huge undertaking and will take a long time and a lot of investment.

[@earthstick]

@@PeterCoutts-rc9mfAnd there is the disagreement. The water companies expect the government to make the infrastructure investment, and simultaneously expect to take all the profit from infrastructure for themselves. They want to socialise the the expenses and privatise the profit. Anyone can see that is an egregious swindle.

[@jonfoster5828]

when the elephant in the room being we have around 15 MILLION more people than we would have naturally is being totally ignored...

[@waltermcphee3787]

the population increase is monitored, expected and in many situations planed for, with the increased households giving the privatised water companies more revenue they should have been building infrastructure to cope.

[@elaineb8524]

I'm paying £625.00 a year for water what the heck are they playing at. It's disgusting. You pay your overheads before you pay shareholders.

[@PoppiesAndPride]

STOP PAYING WATER RATES