Yellow Fish scheme to help protect Bingley watercourses

Yorkshire Water, with the support of Shipley MP Anna Dixon and Bingley East Councillor Susan Fricker, has delivered the national Yellow Fish scheme in Bingley, in a bid to reduce pollution of rivers and streams in the area. 

The environmental awareness scheme involves installing a Yellow Fish symbol next to highway drains, which should only have rainwater entering them. They are intended to alert people that any waste entering them goes directly to the nearest watercourse, bypassing any form of treatment.  

This means anything that isn’t rain entering the drains could cause pollution in the local environment, and cause harm to wildlife.  

Across two days of installation, Yorkshire Water’s river health team, Cllr Susan Fricker, MP Anna Dixon, and Bingley Labour installed 150 Yellow Fish discs in Eldwick and Bingley. 

Emily Eden, river health investigation and engagement lead at Yorkshire Water, said: “Many people don’t realise that surface water sewers can be separate from the foul sewer system, and that what goes in there doesn’t necessarily go to a wastewater treatment site. Instead, oils, detergents, paints, and other harmful substances make their way into local watercourses.  

“Yellow Fish discs are a small reminder that only rain should go down these drains and to avoid putting anything else in them. This includes being vigilant when you are having work done on a property, so that household wastewater pipes aren’t accidentally connected to the surface water system.  

“It’s brilliant to have had the support of MP Anna Dixon, Cllr Susan Fricker, and Bingley Labour on this rollout – the more hands we have, the more areas we can target for installation, and the more watercourses we can protect.” 

Yorkshire Water has identified several areas across the region to roll out the scheme. 46 pilot discs were previously installed in the New Mill area of Holme Valley alongside River Holme Connections, with further installations planned in a number of additional locations. 

In every location, the utility will be working alongside different local community groups, councillors and councils – who own the highway drains - to roll out the plaques. 

Councillor Susan Fricker said: “It’s great to see the Yellow Fish scheme in Bingley; Only Rain Down the Drain is a global initiative to educate communities and support improved water quality. I’m delighted that Yorkshire Water is introducing it here. Look out for the Yellow Fish in Bingley and beyond as the work continues.”  

If anybody spots something that looks like pollution in a local watercourse, they should report it to Yorkshire Water and to the Environment Agency, so that they can investigate. 

Aside from the Yellow Fish scheme, Yorkshire Water is working hard to improve river health and bathing water quality by investing in its network, assets, and operations. This includes: 

• a £1.5bn programme to reduce the operation of storm overflows - £90m of which will be spent in Bradford, with a scheme underway on Preston Street. 
• £350m investment at 85 wastewater treatment sites to reduce the amount of phosphorous in treated wastewater 
• £23m on improved monitoring of the wastewater network 
• Significant investments across designated bathing water sites like Ilkley, Wetherby, Knaresborough, Scarborough and Bridlington