CAMPAIGNER Matt Staniek has invited climate activist Greta Thunberg to join him in a weekly protest outside United Utilities' Information Centre in the Lake District.
Mr Staniek uploaded a video to social media of him sitting on a toilet outside the information centre on Crescent Road.
Someone from the Save Windermere team will protest outside the centre from 9am until 10am on Mondays until the water company commits to stop putting sewage into Windermere.
He had already put up a Save Windermere sign on a building opposite the centre. The Save Windermere campaign wants the lake to receive a similar management plan to Lake Annecy in France.
Stop putting sh*t in our lake.
— MattStaniek (@MattStaniek) November 6, 2023
The message is simple. I will be outside United Utilities information centre every Monday from 9am - 10am until a commitment is made to stop putting sewage into Windermere.
We already have those wanting to join the strike so please head to… pic.twitter.com/Qyf2PrRxRB
In the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Staniek invited former Undertones singer turned water pollution activist Feargal Sharkey and the Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg to his protest.
Mr Staniek said: "Past investment has always been about reducing inputs, but we’re demanding complete removal. Not enough has been done to ensure the long-term protection of Windermere.
"As the lake serves as the terminal basin for inputs in the catchment, pollution has accumulated here for decades.
"This isn’t acceptable, and we must safeguard this lake for our nation’s future. Instead of United Utilities investing in an ‘information centre’ they should be investing in their infrastructure.”
A United Utilities spokesperson said: “Our Windermere information centre has been open for three months and it’s been great to meet with so many of our customers and visitors to the area. We’ve welcomed many visitors through the door to help with their queries on everything from water meters and bills to our recent and forthcoming investment around Windermere and wider Cumbria.
“Since 2000 we have invested more than £75m improving our wastewater services around Windermere which has halved the levels of phosphorus entering the lake. We have plans to invest a further £41m up to 2030, part of a record £13.7 billion programme across the North West. These plans have been shaped after consulting with our customers to tackle the issues that matter most to them right across the region we serve.
“We will also be holding drop-in events later this month so that people can find out more about the specific improvement work we have planned for Windermere over the next two years.
"These are between 2pm-7pm on Monday 20 November at Hawkshead Market Hall, Hawkshead; Tuesday 21 November at the Marchesi Centre, Windermere; and Wednesday 22 November, Ambleside Parish Centre, Ambleside.”
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