According to the website Top of the Poops, the River Weaver was polluted by sewage 541 times in 2025, lasting 3,528 hours. Swimmers and those not washing after touching river water have become sick.
Key high‑impact sites in 2025 included:
- Beam Bridge Pumping Station — 78 spills, 959 hours
- Crewe WwTW — 63 spills, 664 hours
- Meadowbank/Bradford Road PS — 69 spills, 656 hours
- Northwich WwTW — 39 spills, 291 hours
United Utilities say they will invest more than £20m across Mid Cheshire in the next five years as part of a wider investment to reduce storm overfull spills.
The company has also teamed up with a Rotary Club in Winnington, presenting them with water testing kits to support collaborative working to improve water quality. However, it is understood that these are primarily to test the water for Nitrates, Phosphates, Ammonia, turbidity and temperature, rather than sewage.
The River Weaver Navigation Society will continue to monitor investment and water quality closely.
