Homeowners are being reminded to make sure their wastewater does not harm the environment and to only flush the 3 Ps down the loo - poo, pee and paper.

The Call of Nature campaign has been designed to inform occupants of septic tanks, cesspits & package sewage treatment plants about the risks their tanks pose to animals and the environment if their facilities are poorly maintained.

Officers Hannah Barnes and Stephanie Wyatt from the LOVEmyBEACH campaign are visiting areas around Haverigg, Millom and Seascale on Friday to remind residents to check their tanks.

Rosie Law, project officer from West Cumbria Rivers Trust, said: “We work a lot with farmers to ensure agricultural practices don’t impact water quality in the area but while we are out and about we often see a number of poorly maintained household septic tanks.

"It would be great if householders could do their bit to protect our rivers and seas by checking annually that their facilities are connected right and maintained properly.”

The website www.callofnature.info contains everything owners need to know about septic tank maintenance and also includes some top tips on efficiency such as only ever flushing the 3 Ps; pee, poo and paper, and avoiding any fats and food going down the kitchen sink.

Susannah Bleakley, chief executive at the Morecambe Bay Partnership, added: “The Call of Nature campaign has led to some great improvements to the quality of our rivers and seas.

"This year’s bathing water results are evidence of this, with 100% of the locations passing standards for a second year in a row! We hope that septic tank owners can help to maintain, and improve, these standards by conducting a check this week.”

LOVEmyBEACH is a campaign based in the North West focusing on improving bathing water quality across 31 designated bathing water sites.

The campaign was created by the Turning Tides partnership; a partnership of organisations working together through infrastructure, planning and campaigning to improve bathing water quality.