Tests are being carried out to determine the cause of a drastic change in colour to the water in Whitehaven’s iconic harbour.
Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners have reassured the public that there is nothing toxic in the water, which has turned a muddy-brown colour.
John Baker, CEO of Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners, said: “We’re not exactly sure what’s causing it.
“We know it’s not toxic or dangerous. We are undergoing tests to try and identify what it might be.
“There’s a number of things possibly causing it. There are three culverts flowing into the harbour, coming down from the top of Whitehaven. It could be something to do with building work.
“We are just exploring options. It’s frustrating for us. We’re doing what we can to try and flush it out and make it look better.
“It doesn’t look great, obviously, we’re not happy about it. It doesn’t look the best but it’s not causing challenges in that it’s any dangerous waste.
“We are getting help from the Environment Agency and Copeland Borough Council are assisting.
“It’s frustrating we haven’t been able to determine exactly what it is up to this point. There are signs that it is getting better than it was.”
A United Utilities spokesperson said: “The pollution entering Whitehaven harbour is not coming from the United Utilities network.
“Although this is unrelated to our activities, a team attended to investigate and they identified the source of the material entering the harbour as coming from a private culvert that United Utilities is not responsible for.
“This has been reported to the Environment Agency and a copy of our findings will be submitted to them to support in their investigations.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Our officers have taken water samples to understand what is causing the discolouration of Whitehaven harbour.
"At the moment, there is no indication that this has been caused by sewage pollution but our officers will continue to monitor the water at this location.
"If local people have environmental concerns they should contact our 24/7 hotline on 0800 807060.”
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