A ‘plumbing error’ which has seen untreated wastewater discharged into the River Holme is just one of more than 200 incidents Yorkshire Water now has to deal with every year … and the number is increasing.
The problem was discovered at Green Cliff in Honley where there has been a misconnection to the surface water system within Spider Alley – a footpath in Honley (pictured below) – from a housing development and this surface water sewer eventually discharges into the River Holme.
It will cost Yorkshire Water £500,000 to put right and the three-month project started on Monday, February 9.
Yorkshire Water has revealed that the number of sewer misconnections where wastewater pipework has been plumbed into surface water sewers incorrectly is increasing every year.
In 2025, 242 misconnections were discovered compared with 184 in 2024 and 142 in 2023 with almost 300 of misconnections found since 2023 yet to be fixed.
A misconnection is a wrongly plumbed connection that means dirty water or sewage that should be directed to foul sewers or a combined drainage system has been linked to a surface water sewer.
This can mean water from household appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, sinks, showers, baths or toilets can flow directly into the environment and pollute local streams.
Many houses have separate sewer systems for rainwater and wastewater.
The foul drain takes wastewater from bathrooms and household appliances to a wastewater treatment works where it is treated before being safely released to rivers and streams.
The surface water drain carries rainwater runoff from roads, yards, gardens and roof gutters directly to local rivers or streams.
A misconnection can also come from industrial premises leading to chemicals or waste products being discharged directly into rivers.
Yorkshire Water has found a growing number of misconnections every year since 2023 as a result of increased partnership working with local community groups and trusts, especially those which monitor water quality.
Clare Beasant, river health improvement manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “Misconnections are often discovered during coordinated searches with our partners and, while we’re disappointed in the growing number we’re finding, it’s representative of the increased amount of work that we’re collectively putting in to protect Yorkshire’s rivers.’’
When a misconnection is found Yorkshire Water contacts the property owners with information and guidance as to how they can fix the problem.
Local councils and the Environment Agency are able to enforce action should the issue not be sorted. Of the 568 identified misconnections since 2023, 290 are still open cases yet to be resolved by property owners.
The Environment Agency is aware of the problem in Honley but is not taking enforcement action.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We have been monitoring this site and are pleased that Yorkshire Water is now fixing the misconnection to prevent untreated wastewater entering the river.”
The Environment Agency said that when it became aware of the issue it was agreed that Kirklees Council and Yorkshire Water were responsible for fixing the misconnection and that the Environment Agency should monitor the impact.
An Environment Agency team reported no visible impact on river fish and wildlife on their most recent site visit.
If anyone sees suspected water pollution or any other environmental issues they should contact the Environment Agency’s free 24-hour hotline on 0800 807060.
To find out more about misconnections go to https://www.yorkshirewater.com/your-water/misconnections
Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content, copywriting and ghost-writing autobiographies.
