A GROUP which aims to protect Bradford’s becks has recorded 33 incidents of pollution in six months and is now calling for investment in a bid to clean up the city’s waterways.

The Friends of Bradford’s Becks group appointed an urban pollution hunter to make regular checks on the state of the beck at key points along its route.

As well as the 33 separate incidents recorded at 14 separate sites, Rob Hellawell compared the colour and smell of the beck at four sites. The results showed that at the downstream end, a site at Poplar Road in Shipley, was discoloured or smelled on 32 out of 34 dry days.

But at the upstream end at Westholme Street near the city centre, this only occurred on four out of 25 dry days.

The group’s report states: “The large increase in polluted days between up and downstream is clear evidence of multiple, hidden discharges in the city.”

Of the 33 pollution incidents, the group’s work highlights the situation at Boggart Woods, where surface water outfall has been regularly flowing sewage.

Group chairman Barney Lerner, said the report had been passed to Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency, to outline its concerns.

He said: “The report is an attempt to get Yorkshire Water to invest in looking at the problems with the Bradford sewage system.”

“The way we can ensure any serious investigation into the issues is by getting it on to Yorkshire Water’s business plan.

“We hope to lobby the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water to take action.”

He added: “We did this because we knew there was a problem and we needed to get some good quality evidence to send to these agencies because we wanted to show the extent of the problem.”

The group also want to raise awareness of the sources of pollution in Bradford’s becks, such as wrongly connected sewers, illegal industrial discharges, and construction sites.

Tom Underwood, of Yorkshire Water, said its long-term programme of environmental investigations had yet to be finalised.

“We are aware of the concerns raised in the Friends of Bradford’s Becks report and would like to let them know that this is something that we are in discussions with the Environment Agency and other partner organisations.”

“At the moment our business plan for AMP 7 is in the development stage and we are yet to finalise a programme of environmental investigations for 2020-2025.

“But investigations and investment at Bradford’s Becks is something that is being considered and we will be able to provide further details next March once the programme has been finalised by regulators.”