MATT Staniek does not like London but when he was nominated for a national park protector award he packed a five-litre bottle of blue-green algae and set off to Parliament.

The Westmorland Gazette: Matt with the bottle of blue-green algae outside Westminster Matt with the bottle of blue-green algae outside Westminster (Image: Matt Staniek)

The blue-green algae came from Windermere - the scientific name for it is cyanobacteria. The algae makes the water look disgusting and scummy, and although it is a natural part of the ecosystem higher levels of it can be a sign of water pollution due to it feeding off increased nutrient phosphorus.

Pictures emerged over the summer on an overhead shot of Windermere turning green from a helicopter because of the extent of the algal blooms. Matt claims that the blooms could be seen from space. 

The Westmorland Gazette: The blue-green algal blooms seen from a helicopter flying over Windermere in the summer (Inset: Matt Staniek with Bo)The blue-green algal blooms seen from a helicopter flying over Windermere in the summer (Inset: Matt Staniek with Bo) (Image: Newsquest)

Matt knows a lot of statistics when it comes to Windermere but the threat of increased blue-green algae is straightforward: he does not want his beloved dog Bo to get sick.

"I've stopped her swimming south of wastewater treatment works," he said. He claims that his dog had got sick 'three times' from the River Rothay. 

The algae can make humans sick and even kill pets if ingested in large quantities. It can also de-oxygenate the lake which would lead to the death of fish and invertebrates. 

In June, a contractor for the Graythwaite Estate found dead fish lying belly up all along Cunsey Beck. He claimed that the water was murky. The Environment Agency (EA) started an investigation in August looking into alleged claims that it was caused by water company United Utilities (UU). 

The Westmorland Gazette: Matt Staniek with Michela Strachan Matt Staniek with Michela Strachan (Image: Matt Staniek)

Matt Staniek claims that UU has been making hundreds of hours worth of illegal sewage discharges into Windermere. Water companies are only allowed to discharge untreated sewage at times of exceptional rainfall. 

In August, the EA forced UU to improve its pumping station in Cark after a Freedom of Information request revealed that it had dumped hundreds of hours' worth of sewage into the River Eea. UU said that it was 'working with the EA on the issues faced at Cartmel-in-Cark' and implemented a care plan. 

In the midst of all this, Matt increased his profile on Instagram by taking photos of the algal blooms in Windermere. Matt claims that one of his posts got four million views on reels. 

With this, he started a petition on Change.org to 'Save Windermere lake from sewage and an environment catastrophe.' It got over 150,000 signatures. 

After this petition, he starred in a Channel Five documentary with Michela Strachan, was interviewed by BBC North West, and helped create a YouTube video which has 184,000 views. 

"It is just me. There is nobody behind me. It is only recently that Windrush Against Sewage Pollution and Tall Fish have come into play, they make sure I am not going mad," he said.

With those organisations, Matt is collecting data on invertebrate species populations. He claims that there has been a 61 per cent reduction above and below Wilfin Beck wastewater treatment works. 

With these results, Matt wants to hold UU directly to account: "I wanted this done last year. Ten years' time is too long. The water companies work in five-year periods so they could do something about it quickly."

In the twelve months to March 31, 2022, UU posted pre-tax profits of £439.9 million. Matt claims that this is money that has not been re-invested into improving the sewage infrastructure around Windermere. 

A United Utilities spokesperson said: “We have an ongoing investment programme at Windermere and in 2020 we completed a £40 million project to improve both Ambleside and Windermere wastewater treatment plants, and the pumping station at Glebe Road, Bowness.”