WESTMORLAND & Furness Council has thrown its weight behind a parish council’s application for a lake to get a special status which will help protect “one of the most beautiful areas of the country”.

Westmorland and Furness Council has pledged its support to Coniston Parish Council’s application to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to recognise parts of Coniston Water having designated bathing water status.

Councillor Suzanne Pender (Coniston and Hawkshead, Lib Dems), said: “The application for designated bathing water status for Coniston is really important to the community because it’s about protecting the long-term future and sustainability of the lake.

“It’s about all stakeholders working together to protect the lake for future generations.”

The parish council has applied to DEFRA to recognise Coniston North Tip, Monk Coniston and Coniston Boating Centre as well as Coniston South Tip, Brown How and the Eric Wright Centre to have designated bathing water status.

Coniston Parish Council has spoken about how it is thankful for the support from the local authority.

Chair of Coniston Parish Council, Councillor Tracy Coward said: “The council is pleased to gain the support of the Westmorland and Furness Council in its application for Bathing Water Status for areas of Coniston Water.

“Coniston Water is increasing popular for swimming and other water-based activities, and we want to ensure that the water quality is monitored to help protect the health of lake users, biodiversity and the wider environment.

“We are lucky to live in one of the most beautiful areas of the country and it is vital that we do everything we can to preserve it.”

Cllr Pender added that concerns have arisen about frequent incidents of inadequate treatment of sewage at, or by passing of, the sewage treatment works in Coniston and Torver.

The designation of parts of the lake as “bathing waters” would impose a legal requirement on the Environment Agency to carry out regular assessments of the water quality.

Cllr Pender said that such a designation would also make it easier for United Utilities to obtain approval from its regulator for any necessary expenditure on improvements to the capacity or effectiveness of the local sewage treatment works.

Plans are in place from United Utilities to reduce storm overflow into Coniston Water.

A United Utilities spokesperson said: “We are planning to include a scheme to reduce the number of times storm overflows operate at Coniston as part of our next five-year spending period.  It is just one of hundreds of schemes that will take place across the North West as we embark on the biggest environmental programme we have ever delivered.

“We will be able to communicate more about our investment plan right across the county over the next 12 months as it gets approval from our regulators.”