Exclusive:Sewage dump 48 hours before duck race where kids were splashing in Sheffield river raises health concerns

Sewage was discharged into a Sheffield river less than 48 hours before a children’s Easter duck race, raising serious public health concerns despite assurances from Yorkshire Water.

Families gathered along the Porter Valley in Endcliffe Park over Easter Sunday, where children paddled in the water at the popular duck race event - unaware that less than 48 hours earlier, sewage had been discharged into the same stretch of river.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson confirmed the discharge, stating: “This was a permitted and short-term discharge as a result of heavy rainfall from Storm Dave over the weekend.”

The timing of the incident - so close to a public event involving children in the water - has been described as deeply concerning by environmental campaigners.

Dr Maxwell Ayamba , founder of the Sheffield Environmental Movement, said the situation was not surprising, but rather part of a wider issue.

Yorkshire Water maintains that any impact from the discharge would not have lasted beyond 48 hours but Dr Ayamba questioned the basis for that claim.

“What proof has Yorkshire Water got as its evidence - because no tests have been conducted to know this?” he said.

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“It is very concerning from a public health perspective because individuals react differently to the same levels of exposure to such types of contamination.

“For example, children or individuals with existing health problems commonly suffer more than healthy adults.

“But above all, the tests used to estimate these levels of pollution exposure are not necessarily conducted on human subjects, but on animals under laboratory conditions.”

Dr Ayamba added that by framing the discharge as ‘permitted’ and ‘short’ this minimises the impact of the discharge.

“It is sometimes framed in a way to absolve them [Yorkshire Water] from criticism,” he said.

Incidents like this are not uncommon, according to Dr Ayamba, who said they often go unnoticed unless clear evidence emerges.

“It is the consumer who pays the price. They pay for the water they consume, as well as their health if sewage is discharged into uncontrolled sources,” he said.

Event organisers and local environmental groups also expressed concern, while highlighting that the duck race has a long track record of running safely.

In a joint statement, Friends of Porter Valley and the Porter Brook River Rangers said: “The council has permitted FoPV to run the annual duck race, a popular family event, for 15 years, without any reports of pollution related public health incidents.”

They stressed that organisers rely on official guidance when running the event.

“We are always guided by the council on health and safety and we rely on the council and/or Environment Agency or Yorkshire Water to advise us of such incidents or dangers as part of the licensing arrangements,” they said.

However, they acknowledged that water quality remains a growing concern among the public.

“Water quality is a matter of concern to us and to the public visiting the Upper Porter as social media posts demonstrate,” the statement added.

In response, volunteer river rangers have stepped up efforts to monitor the river.

“For this reason the volunteer Porter River Rangers jointly supported by Friends of Porter Valley and Sheaf and Porter Rivers Trust now monitor water quality and ecological health along the whole course of the river and report suspected malfunctions to the relevant authorities.”

They also welcomed planned investment from Yorkshire Water, confirming discussions are already underway.

“We are pleased that Yorkshire Water as a result now intend to invest in upgrades to some parts of the system, and FoPV were in discussions with their planning team on site last Thursday to look at options for the Hangingwater CSO which is in their forward investment programme.”

Local councillor for Ecclesall, Barbara Masters, said investment plans from Yorkshire Water were a positive step, but acknowledged the wider context of how the system operates.

“The national system in the UK relies on dilute discharges in order to manage sewage and surface water volumes. It should only occur at times of high rainfall to prevent sewage backing up into properties,” she said.

“The recent meeting with Yorkshire Water was to let us know about their plans to invest in the valley to significantly reduce the possibility of sewage discharge into the Porter.