Call for International Protection for East Yorkshire's Rare Chalk Streams

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has passed a motion to support the nomination of the region's rare chalk streams as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site and to demand stronger national protections against pollution and over-abstraction.

East Riding Council has passed a motion to support the region's chalk streams, aiming to secure their future against the increasing pressures of pollution, abstraction, and climate change.

The local authority has resolved to write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed MP, to express backing for the nomination of England's chalk streams as a serial UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. This nomination would include consideration of the River Hull chalk stream system.

The Yorkshire Wolds landscape gives rise to the most northerly chalk streams in England. The council is urging the Government to strengthen national protections for these waterways, which includes recognising them as irreplaceable habitats within planning policy and introducing stronger controls on sewage discharge.

Councillor Philp Redshaw detailed the unique nature of the local waterways and the severe environmental threats they currently face.

"These are not ordinary rivers. Chalk streams are a globally rare. Around 85% of them are found in England. These include the Gypsey Race, Driffield Beck, Foston Beck, West Beck including Driffield trout stream. That place is a particular responsibility on us as custodians of something that is internationally important.

These streams are under pressure. In 2023 alone, there were 48,829 hours of sewage discharged into chalk streams across England. That figure should give us all time to pause. Because once the ecological balance of a chalk stream is lost, it is extremely difficult to restore. "

Councillor Redshaw says it's important for local people and organisations to get behind the calls for better protection of the Chalk Streams:

"There is some progress nationally. A Chalk Streams Protection Bill is currently going through parliament which amongst other things, aims to recognise chalk streams as a priority for protection, to strengthen safeguards around pollution and abstraction, and to support their long-term restoration.

Alongside that there are proposals for a blue flag style accreditation for rivers that would prioritise chalk streams for enhanced water quality monitoring, stronger protection from sewage discharge, and greater public transparency.

And these are all positive steps, but they will need clear support from local areas like ourselves to carry weight."

The council has also committed to working with neighbouring authorities, environmental bodies, and community stakeholders. This collaborative approach aims to support conservation, monitoring, and public engagement across the Yorkshire chalk stream network.

Councillor Denise Howard outlined why these habitats are so crucial to the local environment and called for stricter planning controls.

"Our chalk streams here in the East Riding are an absolutely vital part of the Yorkshire Wolds landscape. They are truly globally unique habitats and a stable home for brown trout, water vole, and kingfishers as well as a few other species.

The vast majority of the world's chalk streams are in this country, and they are so ecologically important that some people consider them to be England's rainforests.

Our chalk streams should be nominated as a natural World Heritage site, especially given that many of them are actually in decline. We need to be actively discouraging the abstraction of water from them. We need to be actively discouraging pollution of any kind, and we need to think about how we can protect them through the planning process. They need to be officially recognised as irreplaceable habitats, and development around them should be restricted."

By pushing for international recognition, the council hopes to safeguard these rare ecosystems for current and future generations.

Councillor Jeremy Wilcock expanded on the specific ecological and community benefits provided by the streams.

"Preserving East Yorkshire's chalk streams is very important because they are globally rare ecosystems. They are vital for biodiversity. They support exceptional biodiversity, providing a habitat for trout, water voles, and other species such as rare invertebrates including the white-clawed crayfish, and the southern damselfly.

They depend on fragile chalk aquifers which feed streams with constant clear and cool water, spring water. They are part of East Yorkshire's natural identity, a defining feature of the region's landscape. They provide ecosystem services that benefit the public, whether it's natural water filtration, flood mitigation, or recreation and wellbeing, angling, walking, and wildlife watching. They are highly vulnerable to damage."

The motion firmly positions the local authority as an advocate for securing greater protections and international status for one of the world's most exceptional freshwater habitats.

Summarising the council's demands to the Government, Councillor Redshaw said:

"We are asking the council to write to the Secretary of State supporting the nomination of England's chalk streams as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. World Heritage status would recognise their international importance of these habitats.

It would help unlock long-term protection and investment. And see that they're property valued on a national and a global stage.

We are urging government to go further by recognising chalk streams as irreplaceable habitat in planning policy tackling sewage discharge and nutrient pollution, and ensuring suitable management of the chalk aquifer."

Councillors voted to support the motion and the authority will now write to the secretary of state.