PLANS to address the contaminated water in Whitehaven harbour have been agreed – 16 months after the problem started.

Discoloured water began entering the harbour from a culvert in Queens Dock at the end of 2022 and investigations into the cause have been ongoing.

Tests have been carried out by rail engineers to determine how orange water has been entering an underground railway tunnel between Corkickle and Whitehaven, which is connected to Whitehaven harbour by a culvert.

Copeland MP Trudy Harrison chaired a multiagency meeting on Friday which brought together organisations including  the Environment Agency, the Coal Authority, Network Rail, Cumberland Council and Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners.

Mrs Harrison said the meeting was ‘collaborative’ but with urgency to find both a short-term filtration solution to separate the silt which is discolouring the water at the outflow into the harbour while also agreeing a longer-term plan to replace the ballast within the railway tunnel. 

The ballast is believed to have served as a barrier and filter for the iron ochre containing water since construction many decades ago, but is now understood to be at capacity and no longer able to serve that purpose.

Mrs Harrison said: “There remains some uncertainly as to the exact cause, and there was general agreement the brown water could be down to multiple causes. Therefore the continued visual and geo-physical monitoring will be required with results updated to the group in coming weeks.

“The Taskforce which I shall chair going forwards will meet to progress both these projects, and I shall welcome the Defra minister responsible for water and rural growth, Robbie Moore to Whitehaven on Wednesday.”

Deanne Shallcross, CEO of Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners, said: “It was good to finally be around the same table as all the key agencies, authorities and regulators, and we're grateful to Trudy and others who helped to set up the meeting.

“As owners of the harbour, the community look to us for answers - but we don't control what comes out of the culvert into our dock and are simply the recipients of the contaminated water, so at times it's been hard to give any useful answers.

“There were some full and frank discussions at the meeting, along with much sharing of valuable knowledge. It's clear that a lot of work has taken place behind the scenes, collating a huge amount of data and other findings that will help determine the most likely solutions.

“But this has been an issue for 16 months and has already caused significant physical, financial and reputational damage. We need solutions in place as a matter of urgency and will continue pushing hard for this to happen.

“We are pleased to be part of the multi-agency task force and look forward to further conversations, meetings and working together for the benefit of our wonderful 400-year-old harbour, its users and the town as a whole.”