Water firm criticised for not compensating charity

A councillor has said Yorkshire Water's decision not to compensate a charity after their sea dip was cancelled over sewage in the water is "not good enough".

East Riding of Yorkshire Councillor, Barbara Jefferson said the water company rejected her request to match the £2,000 shortfall Hornsea Inshore Rescue (HIR) experienced when a New Year's Day event was changed.

Swimmers took part in a "hosedown party" after being advised not to enter the water due to a number of untreated water releases.

Jefferson said the water company had offered to help with future events that were planned, but added she thought they still needed to do more.

Speaking to the BBC, she said: "It is not good enough and I'm not happy about it at all.

"I've read their email and I see what they are saying about putting provisions in for the future, but they should be doing something now as well to ensure the seas and rivers are safe and clean.

"The charity is important too as it needs to raise money to help save lives and I do believe they suffered this year from their event being changed."

Ian Worsdale, from HIR, said the charity collected about £2,000 on the day, compared to about £4,000 last year.

He blamed the shortfall on the last minute event change, "it costs about £65,000 a year to run our independent lifeboat - so it is quite significant".

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water previously said they wanted to "apologise to Hornsea Inshore Rescue and our customers for any inconvenience caused".

They added: "Storm overflows operate to relieve pressure when there are periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall to prevent sewage backing up in the system and flooding homes and gardens.

"However, we understand frustration that the event on New Year's Day had to be changed.

"We have reached out to the team at Hornsea Inshore Rescue to consider how we may be able to support any future events, or fundraising initiatives."

The firm added it was investing more than £1bn over the next five years to reduce discharges across Yorkshire.

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