By Michelle Horst
Hornsea Inshore Rescue’s annual New Year swim, which raises thousands of pounds for the vital rescue service, was put in jeopardy by a series of sewage overflow releases.
In a statement on social media, the lifeboat charity said it was “saddened” to announce that there had been overflows from 1am on New Year’s Day continuing until at least 8am, and that it had been forced to change its plans.
It said: “The safety of our community is our top priority. This means we will not be leading people into the sea for the New Year’s dip. Instead, we are working with Humberside Fire and Rescue on a Hosedown Party at 12pm. We are doing our best to secure a fire engine for this. Please do come see us today in your swimmers.
“This is a very important annual fundraiser for the lifeboat, so please come along.”
Yorkshire Water’s storm overflows are designed to reduce pressure on the sewer system and prevent backup into homes.
Visitors who had travelled to the town for the event expressed disappointment on hearing the news. A couple from Leven said: “This is the first time we have come. We saw it in the paper and were gutted that it’s not happening.”
As storm overflow releases continued into the allotted time for the planned dip, the event was salvaged by the organisers’ quick thinking. Together with Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, organisers at Hornsea Inshore Rescue ensured that dedicated fundraisers could still participate in a chilly drenching for a good cause.
The Firth family were en route to Hornsea from Huddersfield when they saw the post and continued their journey to witness the hosedown. Two sisters and their supporting friend arrived from Howden to complete their sponsorship, after raising more than £130 together for taking part in the dip.
A spokesman for Yorkshire Water said: “We’d like to apologise to Hornsea Inshore Rescue and our customers for any inconvenience caused by the storm impact on our assets in Hornsea.
“Storm overflows operate to relieve pressure when there are periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall, or blockages within the sewer network, to prevent sewage backing up in the system and flooding homes and gardens.
“However, we understand our customer’s concern around overflow discharges, and we’re investing more than £1 billion over the next five years to reduce discharges across Yorkshire.”
