Designation for Sheep’s Green was announced by the Government on 13th May, along with 26 other sites across the UK.
Cambridge Labour has welcomed the news that the River Cam at Sheep’s Green has received Bathing Water Designation following a campaign led by Cam Valley Forum and fully supported by Cambridge City Council.
The Cam is one of twenty-seven sites designated by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) as an area where large numbers of people are expected to bathe. The status means that the Environment Agency must test the water for pollution over the summer and then publicly classify it as ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’ on the basis of levels of bacteria.
The main reason for doing this in an area like the Cam, which is expected to be classified as ‘poor’, is that it imposes a legal obligation on the water companies to investigate and take action. It is one of the few practical ways open to local people to improve access to nature and help protect the health of local swimmers as well as those punting, kayaking, canoeing, rowing and paddleboarding on the river.
Cam Valley Forum are hopeful that now the application has been approved, this will unlock at least £5 million in investment from Anglian Water to clean up the Cam.
Newnham Labour councillor Cameron Holloway has been a key supporter of the designation and has worked with the campaign sponsors Cam Valley Forum and many other local groups to support the application.
He said: “I am thrilled at the news of Sheep’s Green receiving designation. This gives the City Council tools to improve our knowledge of the pollution of the Cam and hold polluters to account. This will help everyone who uses the river, not just swimmers. It is a real victory for the local community, who have worked hard to provide the evidence needed to persuade the minister, and is an important step to cleaning up our river”.
Executive Councillor Sam Carling stated: “Labour has been campaigning in favour of designation, which provides a powerful indicator of the state of our river,which in turn offers us tools to hold polluters to account. It is shocking that the local Green Party have been the biggest opponents of designation, sharing disinformation and encouraging Newnham residents to reject the proposal, despite the environmental benefits that it will bring.”
Executive Councillor Katie Thornburrow said: “We deserve a cleaner river Cam, both for our own health and for the improvement of the nature and biodiversity reliant on our river. The Environment Agency has recently published figures which show a nine time increase on the amount of sewage spilled from the Haslingfield sewage works from 2022 to 2023. Sadly, large infrastructure investments take time and therefore cleaning up the river will take time, but we will now be working hard to keep up the pressure.”
Notes for Editors
Bathing Water Designation is a powerful mechanism to help protect the health of river users. It is one of the few effective tools we have to help clean up the River Cam. Designated Bathing Water sites receive weekly monitoring by the Environment Agency during the Bathing Season (15 May – 31 September). Details are published on the national Swiminfo website (https://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/)
After the first season’s monitoring, the water quality will receive an official classification, which will be displayed by the City Council on a noticeboard at Sheep’s Green. If, as expected, the water quality here is rated as “Poor” it will impose statutory obligation on industry to investigate and reduce the pollution.
The City Council has confirmed several times that there is no requirement or intention to promote ‘Bathing’ at Sheep’s Green, nor to increase facilities. Designation should make no difference to visitor numbers.
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