Members of the public and protesters from Hastings and St Leonards Clean Water Action, protest against raw sewage release incidents on the beach in St Leonards, Sussex earlier this year(Gareth Fuller/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Protesters will descend on beaches across the country over weekend to highlight the water pollution carried out by water companies.
In Whitstable, Kent, protesters will turn the beach into a crime scene to highlight the sewage discharges in the area.
Ed Acteson, who will be one of those barricading Tankerton beach, said the Government’s storm overflow discharge plan had actually made it easier for water companies to discharge sewage.
He said: “We were really optimistic that after the huge turnout last year, the public support and media attention, that there would be significant changes. But if anything, it has got worse.
“The Government’s storm overflows discharge reduction plan seems to have made it easier for companies.
“Southern Water has been issued with another penalty for pollution and there have been more than 100 hours of raw sewage discharges into Tankerton beach this year alone.”
As reported by The Guardian, data shows there have been 67 storm overflow releases over 44 days into Tankerton, amounting to 166.6 hours.
Activists will also gather at Cornwall’s popular Gyllyngvase beach, where there were 15 pollution alerts last month while the Endless Summer Swim competition had to be cancelled last weekend due to a sewage alert.
Simon Thomason, chair of the event organiser, the Gyllyngvase Surf Life Saving Club said: “This year has felt like we’ve had constant alerts on the beach.
“The climate crisis means our winters are going to get wetter. Sewage also effects the ocean’s ability to store carbon, so we need to act now.”
Commenting on the protests set for this weekend, a Southern Water statement read: “Protecting the environment is a key priority for us and we are leading the water industry in developing solutions to reduce our reliance on permitted storm overflows.
“These are the combined sewage system’s pressure valve at times of increased rainfall, to avoid flooding people’s homes and communities – but we agree that these are not an acceptable measure.
“Working in partnership with councils and other stakeholders we are finding ways to remove rainfall from the sewage network, utilising Southern Water engineering and nature-based solutions.
“We already engage extensively with campaign groups and will continue to do that at every available opportunity.”
A spokesperson for South West Water added: “South West Water’s largest environmental investment programme in 15 years, WaterFit, is now well under way, focused on delivering benefits for customers, communities and the environment.
“Through WaterFit we will dramatically reduce our use of storm overflows, reduce and then remove our impact on river water quality by 2030 and maintain our excellent bathing water standards all year round.”
