High visitor numbers are turning one of Britain's most scenic lakes green, researchers say.

Pupils from a Lancaster school have spoken out passionately about their campaign to save Lake Windermere from pollution.

Actor Steve Coogan has accused a water firm of "greenwashing" and "PR spin" as he joined a protest criticising it for putting sewage into England's largest lake. The I'm Alan Partridge star hit out at United Utilities' decision to pay out record dividends to shareholders, as he joined campaigners outside its offices near Windermere, Cumbria.

Steve Coogan has demanded United Utilities stop dumping sewage in the iconic Lake Windermere and called on them to clear up the beauty spot. The Alan Partridge star, 58, joined protesters in the high-profile row as he accused the water firm of 'greenwashing' and 'PR spin' this morning.

Comedian says inaction by United Utilities over sewage spills in Windermere’s catchment area has led to a build-up of toxic materials at the bottom of the lake.

Feargal Sharkey joined hundreds of people demonstrating against ­sewage pollution poisoning England’s ­largest lake. The Undertones star, 65, and locals rallied outside United Utilities’ hub in Windermere yesterday after the firm dumped 8,700 hours of sewage into the Lake District spot last year.

Singer Feargal Sharkey joined campaigners in calling for a clean up of a lake on Monday. The environmentalist joined Save Windermere's weekly protest outside water firm United Utilities' information office in the Lake District town.

More than 4m hours of raw sewage discharges poured into rivers and seas last year, a 129% increase on the previous 12 months. Total discharges from the 14,000 storm overflows owned by English water companies that release untreated sewage into rivers and coastal waters increased by 59% to 477,972, making 2023 the worst year for sewage spills.

Pollution from emergency overflow pipes into canals, coastal waters and rivers has not always been recorded until now. Water companies in England and Wales will be required to install monitors on an additional 7,000 emergency overflow pipes used to dump sewage into the nation’s waterways, the environmental watchdog has said.

Esthwaite Lodge pumping station, which discharges into a Site of Special Scientific Interest, has no event duration monitor on the outflow, so the Agency has no idea how much sewage is being spilled into the lake.

The EA says they are reviewing the permits for Windermere, but what are they going to do about the ecological damage already done? Moreover, how can we now trust them to put permits in place that are fit for purpose, when the old ones have been shown to be woefully inadequate to protect Windermere and its rivers?

This is why we are calling for a public inquiry. The regulator is failing, and we need to know why.

Hundreds of permits that allow water companies to dump sewage into Britain’s rivers have not been updated by Government officials for decades with some remaining unchanged since the 1950s.

There has been a "huge" loss of insects in streams because of sewage discharges, according to a conservation charity. Wildfish surveyed five streams feeding into Windermere in Cumbria and found all saw a loss of wildlife downstream of waste water treatment plants.