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Northumbrian Water · overflow NWL00278

No active event

River Skerne

Northumbrian Water reports no current spill. In the last 30 days the overflow has discharged a cumulative 3.3 h across 3 events.

📍 54.67496°, -1.52647°

Spill record· last 12 months

3

spill events

3h

cumulative discharge

2.8 h

longest single event (all time)

2026-05-03

first event on record

In the last 30 days this overflow recorded 3h of discharge. Across Northumbrian Water's 1,568 monitored overflows the median was 0h. This site is in the top 23% by 30-day spill duration.

On the River Skerne· 26 other overflows

26 other overflows discharge into the River Skerne. Combined recorded discharge in the last 30 days: 527h.

Recent spill events· last 30 days

Nearby water quality· 6 sampling points within 5 km

  • NE-45300309 · FRESHWATER - RIVERS

    SPOT GAUGE - MAINSFORTH STELL U/S CHILTON LANE STW

    135 m away · last tested 3 weeks ago

    • Water temperature10.1 CEL
    • pH7.52 PHUNITS
  • NE-45300119 · FRESHWATER - RIVERS

    THE CARRS U/S CHILTON LANE STW

    371 m away

    No swimmer-relevant measurements available.

  • NE-44300083 · FRESHWATER - RIVERS

    EAST HOWLE BECK AT EAST HOWLE

    2.9 km away

    No swimmer-relevant measurements available.

  • NE-45300043 · FRESHWATER - RIVERS

    SKERNE AT BRADBURY BRIDGE

    2.9 km away

    No swimmer-relevant measurements available.

  • NE-45300298 · FRESHWATER - RIVERS

    SPOT GAUGE - SKERNE D/S BRADBURY STW

    3.0 km away

    No swimmer-relevant measurements available.

  • NE-45300174 · FRESHWATER - RIVERS

    RUSHYFORD BECK 200M D/S TRIBUTARY RECEIVING WINDLESTONE STW

    3.0 km away

    No swimmer-relevant measurements available.

Take action

The record above is verifiable from public Environment Agency and water-company data. Three official accountability channels — pre-filled with the evidence on this page.

Are you here right now?

If you can see foam, sewage debris, dead fish, or smell something wrong — submit a citizen report. Confirmed reports are added to the Truth Engine and strengthen the public record on this overflow.

📷 Report what you saw →

1. Complain to Northumbrian Water

The official complaints route. Most companies require submission through their web form rather than email — open the form, then paste the pre-filled letter.

Preview the letter
Subject: Complaint: storm overflow NWL00278 on the River Skerne

Dear Northumbrian Water,

I am writing to formally raise a concern about storm overflow NWL00278,
which public Environment Agency data shows recording 3 spill events totalling 3.3 h in the last 30 days into the River Skerne.

Evidence:
- Last 30 days: 3 spill events totalling 3.3 h
- Location: 54.67496, -1.52647
- Source: Environment Agency National Storm Overflow Hub, OGL v3, cross-referenced via River Truth (https://rivertruth.co.uk/overflow/10301)

[Add your personal context here — e.g. how you use this stretch of water and how this incident affects you.]

Please respond with:
1. The cause of this discharge or monitor outage
2. The action being taken to resolve it
3. The expected timeline for resolution
4. What measures are in place to prevent recurrence

I have copied the Environment Agency, Ofwat, and my MP into this correspondence
where appropriate.

Yours faithfully,
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Your customer reference if you are a Northumbrian Water customer]

2. Write to the MP for this stretch

This overflow sits in the Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor constituency — currently represented by Alan Strickland (Labour). Click below to open WriteToThem with the letter copied to your clipboard — paste it into the message box.

Or write to your own MP instead

Prefer to write to the MP for where you live? Enter your postcode and we'll redirect WriteToThem accordingly.

Preview the letter
Subject: Constituent concern: Northumbrian Water sewage discharge — overflow NWL00278

Dear [your MP — WriteToThem will fill this in],

I am writing as your constituent to raise concern about ongoing sewage discharges
from Northumbrian Water in our area.

A specific recent example is storm overflow NWL00278, which public
Environment Agency data shows recording 3 spill events totalling 3.3 h in the last 30 days into the River Skerne.

Evidence on the public record:
- Last 30 days: 3 spill events totalling 3.3 h
- Location: 54.67496, -1.52647
- Source: Environment Agency National Storm Overflow Hub, OGL v3, cross-referenced via River Truth (https://rivertruth.co.uk/overflow/10301)

[Add your personal context here — e.g. how you use this stretch of water and how this incident affects you and your family.]

I would like to ask:
1. Whether you support strengthening the regulatory regime for storm overflows
   and monitor coverage in particular
2. Whether you would raise this specific incident with the Secretary of State
   for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs or with Ofwat
3. What steps Parliament is taking to hold Northumbrian Water accountable for
   the gap between shareholder distributions and the state of monitoring on
   the ground

Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address — WriteToThem requires a postal address to verify constituency]

Sources: Environment Agency National Storm Overflow Hub · Environment Agency
WIMS Water Quality Archive · cross-referenced via River Truth (https://rivertruth.co.uk/overflow/10301)

MP details are looked up live from the UK Parliament Members API under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0. River Truth makes no claim about this MP's voting or advocacy record on water issues — they are shown solely as the elected representative for this constituency.

3. Report to the Environment Agency

For active pollution incidents — dead fish, foam, sewage on the riverbank — the EA hotline operates 24/7 and triggers a recorded investigation.

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