Windermere, England’s largest lake and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is facing an environmental catastrophe. Tell the UK Government to introduce legislation that ends sewage discharges in Windermere.

www.savewindermere.com

Sewage is still being dumped into Windermere, driving algal blooms that can kill fish, harm pets, and pose risks to human health. Years of insufficient investment and inconsistent oversight have allowed these pressures to build, putting the lake’s ecosystem at risk of collapse. To turn this around, we need stronger legal mechanisms to eliminate sewage discharges and ensure those responsible are held to clear, enforceable standards. Windermere deserves the full protection of the law.

Windermere means everything to me. I grew up here. After a life-changing accident, I began walking to its shores every day and I watched it begin to decline almost overnight. Over the last 4 years, I’ve been campaigning to save the lake, and I never imagined the successes we’d achieve — but there’s still work to do to save this iconic lake, immortalised by culturally significant figures like Wililam Wordsworth, Beatrix Potter and yes, even Taylor Swift.

But this isn’t just about one lake.

Windermere is a symbol of what’s happening to rivers, lakes, and coastlines across the UK and around the world. In the UK, it represents a broken, privatised water system that puts profit before people and the environment. Globally, it is a warning to other freshwater systems already feeling the effects of climate change.

Windermere can also be something else entirely: a beacon of hope and leadership. A rallying point to force governments and industries to protect nature, not exploit it. A global example of people power turning the tide.

What We Have Achieved So Far

When we started campaigning, we were told there was no investment needed. All sites operated as intended. Windermere, we were told, was fine. But thanks to your support on our previous petitions, we’ve exposed the truth, changed the narrative, and secured real progress for the Lake in the short-term, including:

• £200 million in new investment committed over the next five years, nearly triple the total of the previous 35 combined.
• The first full review of United Utilities’ discharge permits by the Environment Agency after we exposed how outdated and inadequate they were.
• A surge in regulatory inspections from 0 in 2020 to 35 in 2025 so far, triggering ongoing investigations and potential prosecutions.
• Operational changes on the ground, including more frequent site visits, more staff members hired, increased tank emptying and new backup generators to reduce failures.
• National and international media coverage, parliamentary action, and public outrage, leading to an engineering study, funded by United Utilities, which is now assessing how to eliminate all sewage pollution in our lake.

This is all thanks to you. Ordinary people refusing to accept the unacceptable, and making their voices heard.

But We Still Need Your Help

The tipping point for Windermere will be defined by our changing climate. As temperatures rise, the lake is warming.

The lake’s average annual surface temperature has increased by 1.7°C in the last 70 years. Algal biomass is worsening in the North Basin, deep-water oxygen is declining, and weather extremes are putting even more pressure on inadequate sewage infrastructure.

More rainfall means more sewage discharges. Longer droughts allow algal blooms to proliferate. Without action, we face the very real risk of a catastrophic bloom event that could wipe out fish populations and devastate the ecosystem.

The knock-on effects are significant. Thousands of fish washing up dead on the lake shore would not only be an environmental disaster but would also damage tourism, house prices, and the local economy.

By signing this petition, you can help us achieve our vision of a Windermere free from sewage where algae blooms are a thing of the past. A lake restored for wildlife, people, and future generations.

In the 1970s, Lake Annecy in France faced the same problems facing Windermere, but the community refused to accept it. Infrastructure was built to remove sewage from the lake entirely: a pipe network around the entire circumference that diverted sewage to state-of-the-art treatment centres. Today, Annecy is the cleanest lake in Europe.

And it’s not just happened in France. Lake Washington in America is another example of a freshwater lake that was suffering. They took action and eliminated all sewage from being discharged into the lake. The lake began to recover rapidly, and now it is protected for the American people forever.

With your support, we can do the same for Windemere!

We’ve forced investment. We’ve exposed illegal dumping. We’ve pushed regulators into action. Now we must finish what we started.

We demand that the UK Government make it unlawful to discharge any sewage into Windermere by enacting legislation. Sign the petition and together we can end sewage pollution in England’s largest lake once and for all.