The boss of a water firm, that’s blamed for leaving a river ‘ecologically lifeless’ because of its sewage overflow, turned down a £450,000 bonus after public outrage.
Susan Davy, CEO of the Pennon Group, which owns South West Water (SWW) gave up her six determine bonus because of anger over sewage air pollution in rivers and seas.
Residents and guests of Lyme Regis, Dorset, have referred to as the sewage dumping within the River Lim ‘simply terrible’ and are livid it’s off limits as a result of ‘surprising’ ranges of E-coli.
Information exhibits an exponential rise in human waste surging into the river from storage tanks at a close-by SWW therapy centre.
Although final yr Ms Davy, 53, greater than trebled her wage receiving over £1million in bonuses and advantages, regardless of overseeing the closure of seashores after uncooked sewage was pumped into the ocean.
Susan Davy, CEO of the Pennon Group, which owns South West Water (SWW) gave up her reported £450,000 bonus this yr because of public anger over sewage being dumped in rivers
The River Lim runs although vacation hotspot Lyme Regis, Dorset, however locals and vacationers have been warned to remain out as a result of ‘surprising’ ranges of E-coli
The water boss mentioned giving up this yr’s bonus was the precise factor to do and insisted SWW understands the client’s anger.
In the meantime locals of Lyme Regis and conservationists have reported seeing ‘a layer of brown sludge’ coating the highest of the 5km river.
A retired freshwater ecologist carried out a current survey which discovered there have been ‘barely any’ invertebrates within the River Lim.
With out invertebrates comparable to mussels, larvae and snails, the underside of the meals chain is reduce off which reduces the variety of bigger species which might survive there.
On her refusal to simply accept the close to £500,000 bonus, Ms Davy mentioned: ‘That is the precise factor to do. We’re listening to our clients, we get it. I need South West Water centered on delivering for purchasers, communities and the area, with no excuses.’
The corporate mentioned the bonus will as a substitute be reinvested into WaterShare+. Initially launched in 2020, this scheme helps individuals on low incomes pay their water metre payments.
In response to experiences concerning the situation of River Lim, Twitter consumer Veronica Atalanta mentioned: ‘Years in the past I bear in mind watching Trout in that river in the course of Lyme Regis and Dippers nesting – went again earlier this yr and nothing, simply notices about not going within the river because of air pollution.’
Whereas Pete Liptrot remembered that: ‘You used to have the ability to stroll alongside the Lynch proper within the centre of Lyme Regis and watch the trout, little wild brownies.’
Terry Prince referred to as the sewage dumping ‘simply terrible’, he mentioned: ‘Used to stroll down this river from Harcombe all the best way to Lyme once I was a child.
‘It was clear then – though we used to stumble upon human excrement after we swam within the sea at Lyme. What’s modified I ponder?’
In 2020 sewage spilled into the Lim for 376 hours, in 2021 that had risen to 680 hours and all through 2022 there have been 2,200 hours of spillage (Pictured: The Lyme Regis Sewage Therapy Works)
A retired freshwater ecologist carried out a current survey which discovered there have been ‘barely any’ invertebrates within the river, regardless of there beforehand being an eco-system with trout, eels and kingfishers populating the world
Residents have been warned to steer clear of the River Lim because of ‘surprising’ ranges of E-coli, after the quantity of sewage overflowing into it tripled in beneath a yr (Pictured: Laura Noel and Rob Thomas, a part of River Lim Motion)
Graham Roberts, who labored as a recent water ecologist for 40 years, has described the River Lim as being ‘ecologically lifeless’.
He joined the River Lim Motion Group two years in the past to attempt to perceive and repair the issue.
He mentioned: ‘The river is in a fully disgusting state. I carried out some baseline surveys to know what was taking place to the wildlife within the river.
‘There have been nearly no invertebrates in any respect in it. In a wholesome river you’ll look forward to finding a whole lot and hundreds of shrimps in a 3 minute survey.
‘We weren’t discovering any in any respect.
‘It has an actual knock-on impact on the remainder of the animals within the space. There simply gained’t be sufficient meals.
‘We have been fortunate sufficient to have an otter transfer in not too long ago however I fear that by ingesting the sewage it’s going to grow to be infertile or within the worst case state of affairs it’s going to die.’
The River Lim Motion Group have checked out statistics from the Rivers Belief which present that the quantity of human waste getting into the river has tripled within the final yr.
In 2020 sewage spilled into the Lim for 376 hours, in 2021 that had risen to 680 hours and all through 2022 there have been 2,200 hours of spillage.
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