River Cocker

Truth Engine flags· 1 open

• Dry-weather spill

  “Rain gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km from this overflow, recorded 0 mm in the 24 hours and 0 mm in the 48 hours before this spill started.”

  ☂ Only 0 mm rainfall in the 24 h before this spill started (recorded at Cornhow, 4217 m away)

Spill record· since 6 May 2026

In the last 30 days this overflow recorded 2h of discharge. Across United Utilities's 2,263 monitored overflows the median was 0h. This site is in the top 32% by 30-day spill duration.

Recent spill events· last 30 days

• 2026-10-15 10:30 UTC6 min

  0 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-15 08:54 UTC28 min

  0 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-13 10:22 UTC8 min

  0.9 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-13 06:22 UTC6 min

  0.3 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-10 08:04 UTC6 min

  14.7 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-10 07:40 UTC8 min

  14.7 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-10 03:50 UTC6 min

  18.4 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-10 03:28 UTC6 min

  18.4 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-10 02:44 UTCend time not published

  19.6 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-09 06:06 UTC6 min

  29.1 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-09 01:58 UTC4 min

  21 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-02 23:56 UTC4 min

  38.3 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-02 23:28 UTC6 min

  38.3 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-02 22:36 UTCend time not published

  38.4 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

• 2026-10-02 21:22 UTC2 min

  38.4 mm rain in the 24 h before, gauge Cornhow, 4.2 km

Rainfall comes from the nearest Environment Agency rain gauge within 10 km, using 15-minute readings rolled into hourly totals. Where a gauge is further away, or too many readings are missing, we say so rather than guess. Rain figures do not show whether a discharge was permitted; that is a matter for the regulator. How we keep the record.

The operator's own annual returns· 2024 to 2025

What the water company itself reported to the Environment Agency’s annual returns for this overflow, year by year. Hours are the total reported discharge duration; monitor working is the share of the year the event monitor was operating (a figure of 0% may mean no usable monitoring data rather than no spills). These figures are the operator's own reporting, not our measurement, and our live record above begins on 6 May 2026.

Source: Environment Agency, Event Duration Monitoring storm overflow annual returns, all years. Matched to this overflow by hub id.

How we keep the record.

Rain at the nearest gauge· 4.2 km away

The nearest Environment Agency rain gauge, Cornhow, is 4.2 km from this overflow. It recorded 2.4 mm in the last 48 hours.

Rainfall comes from 15-minute Environment Agency readings rolled into hourly and daily totals; the 48-hour figure rests on 184 of 192 possible readings. The gauge is 4.2 km from this overflow, so it may not match the rain at the site itself, and the latest day may be incomplete. Rain figures do not show whether a discharge was permitted; that is a matter for the regulator. How we keep the record.

River level and flow nearby· 2.5 km away

Latest readings at the Environment Agency gauge "Southwaite Bridge", on the River Cocker, which is 2.5 km from this overflow.

• River level0.662 h ago · falling over 24 h

These are the Environment Agency's own gauge readings at the named station, shown for context. The station measures the river, not this overflow, and a reading does not show whether a discharge occurred or was permitted. Trend compares the latest reading with the one nearest 24 hours earlier; a change of 5% or less is shown as steady. How we keep the record.

Nearby water quality· 6 sampling points within 5 km

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.

Subject: Storm overflow UUP01189 on the River Cocker: request for information

Dear United Utilities,

I am writing about storm overflow UUP01189 on the River Cocker.

Environment Agency storm overflow monitoring data for overflow UUP01189 on the River Cocker (operator listed as United Utilities) records 15 spill events starting between 18 September 2026 and 18 October 2026; the 13 with a published end time total 1.6 h. The most recent recorded event started on 15 October 2026 at 10:30 UTC.

As of 18 October 2026 at 00:41 UTC, the monitor does not report the overflow as spilling.

Further details from the public record:
- Open automated data flags on River Truth for this overflow: 1 (comparisons between public datasets, not findings of fault)
- On the River Cocker, per the OS Open Rivers network (Ordnance Survey, Open Government Licence)
- Location: 54.62600, -3.31854
- Sources: Environment Agency National Storm Overflow Hub and Water Quality Archive (Open Government Licence v3.0), cross-referenced via River Truth (https://rivertruth.co.uk/overflow/11704)

These figures are taken from public monitoring data as published and may be revised by the publisher. They are not a finding that any permit condition has been breached.

[Add your personal context here, for example how you use this stretch of water.]

Please could you tell me:
1. Whether the monitoring record summarised above is accurate and complete
2. What caused the recorded spill events
3. What work, if any, is planned at this overflow, and on what timeline
4. What measures are in place to reduce spills from this overflow in future

[Delete if not applicable: I have copied the Environment Agency, Ofwat and my MP into this correspondence.]

Yours faithfully,
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Your customer reference if you are a United Utilities customer]

Subject: Constituent query: storm overflow UUP01189 on the River Cocker

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

I am writing as your constituent about public storm overflow monitoring data for our area.

Environment Agency storm overflow monitoring data for overflow UUP01189 on the River Cocker (operator listed as United Utilities) records 15 spill events starting between 18 September 2026 and 18 October 2026; the 13 with a published end time total 1.6 h. The most recent recorded event started on 15 October 2026 at 10:30 UTC.

As of 18 October 2026 at 00:41 UTC, the monitor does not report the overflow as spilling.

Further details from the public record:
- Open automated data flags on River Truth for this overflow: 1 (comparisons between public datasets, not findings of fault)
- On the River Cocker, per the OS Open Rivers network (Ordnance Survey, Open Government Licence)
- Location: 54.62600, -3.31854
- Sources: Environment Agency National Storm Overflow Hub and Water Quality Archive (Open Government Licence v3.0), cross-referenced via River Truth (https://rivertruth.co.uk/overflow/11704)

These figures are taken from public monitoring data as published and may be revised by the publisher. They are not a finding that any permit condition has been breached.

[Add your personal context here, for example how you and your family use this stretch of water.]

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 the monitoring data for this overflow with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Environment Agency or Ofwat

Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address (WriteToThem requires a postal address to verify your constituency)]