Mick Hucknall has called out Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party over environmental policy which has seen a river declared “ecologically dead” as a result of dumping sewage into UK waters.
The River Lim in Dorset has been described as essentially dead by locals and conservationists after reports of a thick “layer of brown sludge” and tests by the likes of the River Trust found “shocking” levels of E.coli, with a freshwater ecologist confirming that it now contains “barely any” invertebrates.
As per The Times, the bottom of the food chain has effectively been cut off meaning that larger species will simply be unable to survive along the waterway, with yellow warning signs now put up warning the public to keep of out the water which is now full of human waste for the nearby SWW treatment centre.
With environmental activist group Greenpeace reacting to the grim news, adding that the levels of sewage flowing into River Lim have tripled in 2022 compared to the previous year, many online have been deeply troubled by the information — one of those being Mick Hucknall. He only had this to say:
Mick Hucknall not wasting a syllable in telling Rishi Sunak what he thinks of him and the ‘Tory Sewage Party‘
The Manchester-born musician and Simply Red frontman summed up his thoughts rather succinctly, holding Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives responsible for the deeply concerning increase in sewage dumping throughout Britain’s various seas, rivers, canals and other bodies of water.
In the instance of the Lim, sewage was dumped into the river for more than 2,200 hours last year alone and the levels at which waste, treated or not, is seeping into British waterways are getting increasingly worse year on year. It is estimated that since 2016, sewage has been discharged every two-and-a-half minutes, with 1,276 years’ worth of raw waste dumped into our waters over the last seven years. Awful.
Quoting Environment Agency figures, research by the University of Manchester revealed that “sewage pollution incidents – many of which were legal – have increased 29-fold over five years and countless urban rivers are now effectively extensions of the sewerage network.” Moreover, there seems to be little interest in combatting pollution as water companies are simply making too much money from it.
Tories let colleagues earn £millions from duff PPE contracts, stopped folk from voting without ID and allowed the arrest of innocent people who police 'thought' might protest. But hey, water companies dump you raw sewage in our rivers and seas and pocket your bonuses. Happy days pic.twitter.com/YlyCsdy0jg
— Robert Bob…. What is this nightmare? (@MrRobertBob1) May 11, 2023
In the grand scheme of things, it is now said that only 14% of rivers in England have “good” ecological status and this figure is expected to fall to just 6% by 2027.
While Labour are still pushing for a Water Quality Bill to put an end to the rampant sewage dumping once and for all, Tories voted against it, with current Environment Secretary Therese Coffey calling the motion “pointless” and “ill-considered”, insisting that the part has a “credible plan” to tackle pollution.
Nevertheless, the ‘Tory Sewage Scandal’ is not going ignored and many have been campaigning for proper accountability for years now. When Liz Truss was the minister in charge, she oversaw £235 million incuts to environmental funding and in 2021, levels rose to their worst since 2013. She went on to become Prime Minister…
The most concerning part is that this doesn’t just stop with the Lim and Dorset: given the excessive levels of sewage being dumped into rivers all around the UK, it won’t be long before more fall victim to a growing ecological crisis.
Featured Image — Simply Red (via Instagram)/Greenpeace UK/Wikimedia Commons
News
Police appeal after teen was killed in collision between car and e-bike in Middleton
Emily Sergeant
Police have issued a public appeal for information after a teenage boy was killed in a collision between a car and an e-bike.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, at around 11:55am on Monday 21 July, officers responded to reports of a collision on Rowrah Crescent in the Middleton area, and emergency services immediately attended – but despite their best efforts, a 15-year-old boy was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation has been launched following the distressing incident, and police are are working to establish the full circumstances.
A 59-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and remains in custody for questioning at this time.
Police are appealing after a teenager was killed in a collision between a car and an e-bike in Middleton / Credit: GMP | Pxfuel
Police are also investigating allegations of a theft in the events leading up to collision, and another boy, also aged 15, has been arrested on suspicion of theft as part of that ongoing work.
“This terrible incident has seen the death of a teenage boy, and we are working hard to establish the full facts of this case, in what is the very early stages of an investigation,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Dean, from GMP’s Rochdale district.
“A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and will be questioned in due course.
“While officers are already in place to support the family of the boy who has died today, I want to remind people that at the heart of this is a grieving family, and I would ask the community to not speculate on social media while we piece together the events of earlier today.”
Rowrah Crescent in Middleton, where the collision happened / Credit: Google Maps
A scene remains in place on Rowrah Crescent, and GMP says officers will be able to assist any locals with queries or concerns they may have.
Now that the investigation is ongoing, police are now appealing to the public for information – with DCI Dean adding: “As our work progresses, I would ask anyone with information to please come forward – whether you witnessed anything, or have any dashcam, CCTV, or doorbell footage from the area.”
Any information or footage can be submitted by contacting GMP via 101, or on the Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 1364 of 22/07/25.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – Google Maps
News
Live football to be prescribed by some GPs to help treat patients with depression
Danny Jones
Live football looks set to be prescribed by a section of the NHS in an effort to try and help people suffering from depression.
As part of the experimental new wellbeing and mental healthcare initiative, GPs across the UK could soon be able to suggest watching football in person as part of their wider treatment plans.
While it may sound like a somewhat unorthodox approach, it’s sparked plenty of conversation on social media and is already gathering some steam up and down the country.
The scheme is being pioneered by Labour MP, Dr Simon Opher, the representative for Stroud, as well as Ecotricity owner and green industrialist, Dale Vince.
Today we’ve announced Football On Prescription. Football clubs up and down the country and up and down the leagues can take part in this – and I hope they will. Mental health is a big issue, as are loneliness and isolation. One of the superpowers of football is its inclusivity -… pic.twitter.com/OWNOag6Fcc
‘Prescribed footy’, to coin a somewhat jarring colloquialism, is set to be rolled out to relevant patients across the Gloucestershire region diagnosed with depression and some other mental health conditions.
Those on the receiving end of these prescriptions will be offered free tickets to watch local National League side, Forest Green Rovers (FGR), based in the town of Nailsworth.
Vince, who founded Ecotricity – formerly known as Renewable Energy Company – back in 1995, bought Forest Green back in 2010 and is just passionate about football and mental health as the push for clean energy and environmental causes.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio in an interview on Tuesday, 22 July, the 64-year-old Norfolk-born OBE said: “We just do the things that we see, that we think could be done, should be done, that will help; whether it’s helping our planet, our country – people here [in Gloucestershire]…
“When you attend football matches, particularly regularly, you find yourself a part of something, a part of a group of people with a common purpose. It’s a wonderful social experience that we think would be really good for people suffering from mental health problems.”
Despite some doubters and detractors questioning his motives online and in the media, he insists the sentiment is purely altruistic, and FGR hope to aligning itself with big causes like mental health, even making the first fully vegan-certified football kits ahead of the 2025/26 season.
He also went on to add, “We also won’t take adverts or sponsorship from gambling companies: they do great harm in our society.”
As for Dr Opher, he has continued to champion ‘social prescribing’ across his medical and political career, backing it as a viable alternative to common medication such as antidepressants for some individuals with mild-moderate depression.
The live football on presecption concept has been met with plenty of pushback online, including lots of discourse surrounding priorities and the NHS remaining underfunded, but only time will tell how well these early trials go.
What do you make of the idea of football being put forward as an aid for depression and do you think it should be considered by the NHS at large?
Danny Jones -
12th May 2023 
