The Arup report 2015 explained. 16 February 2024.
Malton and Norton and Old Malton Flood Study Final Report
The 251-page Malton, Norton and Old Malton Flood Study, the Arup report 2015, explains the causes of sewer and surface water flooding in Malton, Norton, and Old Malton, and provides clear recommendations of what needs to be done to permanently prevent future sewer flooding, and how to move away from reliance on the disruption-causing multi-Agency Malton, Norton and Old Malton Pumping Plan.
NEW: Yorkshire Water is dumping raw sewage into the river Derwent. See the latest records: visitmaltonsewer.co.uk
Malton and Norton and Old Malton do not have a properly functioning sewer capable of maintaining full functionality in all weather conditions. Yorkshire Water is operating inadequate sewage pumping stations and inadequate sewers and carries on doing so because it is cheaper that way. It is far easier for Yorkshire Water to pump sewage into the river Derwent than invest our money in upgrading its assets.
For those who don’t know, all the sewage from Old Malton and Norton is pumped to the Yorkshire Water Sewage Treatment Works on York Road Industrial Estate. At least, that is its intended destination. However, because the Yorkshire Water sewers and sewage pumping stations are lacking capacity, Yorkshire Water pumps any excess raw sewage into the river Derwent. Environmental pollution is the Yorkshire Water solution. It is polluting the environment under the watchful eye of the Environment Agency.
And my overarching question is why?
Why, when the reasons for sewage pollution of the river Derwent, and sewer flooding of people’s homes and gardens were identified in the Arup report 2015 (the equivalent ‘bugs, errors and defects’ of the Fujitsu Horizon, Post Office computer programme) has no action been taken to correct those ‘bugs, errors and defects’, and investment made to prevent the sewer flooding and pollution of the river Derwent from happening?
Why, when the need and means to move away from reliance on the Malton, Norton and Old Malton Pumping Plan was identified by Arup in 2015, is the multi-agency partnership led by North Yorkshire Council, still operating that plan?
The Statutory Sewerage Undertaker (Yorkshire Water) has a duty under the Water Industry Act 1991, Section 94, (a) “to provide, improve and extend such a system of public sewers (whether inside its area or elsewhere) and so to cleanse and maintain those sewers [F1and any lateral drains which belong to or vest in the undertaker] as to ensure that that area is and continues to be effectually drained.”
Why is the Environment Agency not prosecuting Yorkshire Water for repeatedly polluting the river Derwent with untreated sewage? The Arup report was published nine years ago and spells out clearly what needs to be done to make sewer flooding in Malton, Norton, and Old Malton a thing of the past. Someone, somewhere, is either asleep at the wheel or is deliberately looking the other way.
Simon Thackray
NEW: Yorkshire Water is dumping raw sewage into the river Derwent. See the latest records: visitmaltonsewer.co.uk