Open water swimmers in the Lake District have come together to fight planned changes to an iconic body of water.
Protesters gathered at Crummock Water on Sunday, May 11, in opposition to the planned removal of a local weir, which would have a significant impact on the popular open water swimming spot.
Water management company United Utilities wants to remove the 100-year-old weir to return the lake to its 'natural state', after it stopped using Crummock Water in 2023.
The proposed removal would reduce the lake's water level by about four-and-a-half feet (1.4m), something that protesters say would do irreversible harm to the area and its open water swimming community.
The Friends of Crummock campaign group is worried that a lower water level would expose the mud, rocks and debris on the shore, which is currently lined with gravel beaches, and that could make swimming inaccessible.
Open water swimmer Nicky Cockburn, who attended the protest, wants the weir to be maintained, rather than removed. She credits swimming at Crummock for helping her fight cancer and lymphedema.
"For me, coming here really helps my mental and physical health, there’s loads of us who have issues like that and swim every day of the year here," she told Cumbria Crack.
"I have swum with otters here, and this morning I saw oystercatchers fly over. They say protected species like the Arctic Char and other animals will adapt, but I’m really worried they’ll just disappear if the water level is dropped," she continued.
If it's not destroyed, United Utilities says the weir will need significant upgrading and construction by 2028. They claim it would then need to be monitored every ten years, and could require significant future investment.
United Utilities submitted formal plans to the Lake District Authority to significant backlash in mid-April. In the month since, more than 7,000 people have signed a petition in opposition to their plans, and more than 275 sent letters of objection to the Authority.
"In just a few weeks, we’ve had enormous support, but this is just the start, and we will keep pushing until United Utilities do the right thing," Friends of Crummock co-founder James Lasher told the Cumbria Crack.
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