Water company United Utilities has admitted defeat in a legal battle to prevent the public from accessing data on treated sewage it discharges into Lake District Windermere.

Company officials initially claimed that data from phosphorus monitors at the Lake District's main wastewater treatment plant was not environmental information. The company also wants to block access to data from Cunsey Beck, a site of special scientific interest that flows into Windermere.

The company argued that disclosing unverified data could "negatively impact public confidence in the way water companies operate their assets".

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) ruled last year that the information should be disclosed, but United Utilities appealed. this observer It is reported that the water company has now withdrawn its appeal and is expected to be heard early this year.

Matt Stanek, founder of the Save Windermere campaign, which made the request for the data, said attempts to block disclosures were "outrageous" and "a complete waste of bill payers' money". He added: “Notices of the Information Commissioner’s decision in support of Save Windermere’s arguments are available to campaigners across the country facing issues accessing information from water companies.

“We now want to see Labor fulfill its pre-election promise by ending sewage pollution in Windermere.”

this observer It was revealed in November how seven United Utilities sewage plants and pumping stations in the Lake District were accused of illegally leaking sewage for 501 days between 2018 and 2023.

A BBC report estimated it included a pumping station that pumped 140 million liters of waste into Windermere over three years.

Campaigners want Labor to back a new infrastructure project to end emissions to Windermere. They say the lake is now regularly infested with blue-green algae, which is linked to increased pollution.

Illegal dumping of sewage by water companies across England and Wales has become one of the major political issues in recent years. The government introduced the Water (Special Measures) Bill to give regulators new powers, ban bonuses and impose tougher penalties for violations, including jail terms for water bosses.

United Utilities was reprimanded by the ICO in October last year for failing to properly handle public requests for environmental information.

The ICO said: "We found that water companies frequently refused to respond to requests because they claimed the requested information was not environmentally friendly. We have now instructed United Utilities to provide a broader interpretation of environmental information in line with the Commissioner's decision."

A spokesperson for United Utilities said: “In an effort to be more transparent, we are committed to making information more accessible.

“We welcome the clarification from the Information Commissioner’s Office and will continue to engage with its process to ensure that what is disclosed falls within the scope of the (Environmental Information Regulations).”

The spokesman added: “We have invested £75 million so far in Windermere to upgrade our treatment plants and pumping stations.

“We are now investing a further £200 million into the catchment, making further improvements to ensure wastewater treatment reaches a higher standard while significantly reducing discharges from the six storm overflows into the lake.”