For as long as Matt Staniek can remember he has been enjoying the wildlife around Windermere. Growing up in the Lakes and spending his teens at Lakes School in Troutbeck Bridge, gave him access to England’s largest lake and its catchment.

Interview with Matt on BBC North West in 2022, discussing the impact of sewage pollution on Windermere.

Windermere in Cumbria is England's biggest lake and attracts thousands of tourists every year. 

But in recent months, people have been advised not to swim in it or allow their dogs to go in the water in it as it has seen a huge increase in pollution levels. 

A Cumbrian environmental campaigner has called for the Lake District to be stripped of its Unesco World Heritage Site status if raw sewage continues to be pumped into Windermere.

The lake is at a tipping point. Enough hasn't been done over the last 20 years to ensure it is adaptable to climate change. Phosphorus is entering the catchment area in unsustainable quantities and destroying the fragile freshwater environment. Phosphorous is a problem because it acts as fertiliser for algae, and lots of algae means no oxygen in the water for fish. 

Windermere could be given bathing water status after widespread anger about sewage pollution that is causing dangerous algal blooms...

Lake Windermere in Cumbria could become 'ecologically dead' within the next few years due to the amount of sewage pumped into the water, a campaigner has warned.

Matt Staniek, a conservationist, wildlife advocate, and regular visitor to the lake, launched an online petition calling for an end to sewage dumping in the water.

Windermere could become “ecologically dead” because of the amount of sewage being pumped into its waters, campaigners have warned.

Pictures show algal blooms across the surface of the lake. Campaigners say there is also evidence of dead fish and invertebrates, indicating the waters are not healthy.