A WATERWAYS project held a fun day with a serious message in Darlington.

The event, organised by Durham Wildlife Trust as part of the Living Waterways project, was held in partnership with Northumbrian Water.

It took place on the banks of Cocker Beck, in west Darlington, with the aim of raising awareness of pollution and the need to improve the health of streams in urban areas.

It focused on incorrect connections, where household waste water – from dishwashers, washing machines, sinks, showers and toilets – are wrongly connected.

This leads to waste water flowing into streams and means it does not get treated.

The waste water should be going to the sewer, where it will get treated and only rain water should be going to the surface water drains.

The event was held on the banks of the Cocker Beck because the beck is currently suffering from wrong connections and at times you can see coloured water coming out of the drains into the beck from nearby houses. The trust is asking everybody to check their house for wrong connections and contact Northumbrian Water if they have any concerns or queries.

The Living Waterways fun day included a free face painter, displays of animals and an arts and crafts table.

Living Waterways is a partnership project between Durham Wildlife Trust and the Environment Agency.

For more information, contact the project officer Kelly Rose on krose@durhamwt.co.uk