Brighton and Hove locals to paddle out in nationwide protest against sewage scandal

Brighton and Hove locals to paddle out in nationwide protest against sewage scandal

Water users in Brighton and Hove among thousands of water users paddling out in nationwide protest against sewage pollution on Saturday 17 May as official bathing season starts

• Protesters at 40+ UK locations are calling for total reform of the water industry in England and Wales, and clearer monitoring and transparency of the sewage crisis in Scotland and Northern Ireland
• Water users in Brighton and Hove are paddling out at the West Pier at 10.30am on 17th May after Southern Water discharged sewage 29355 times in 2024

Thousands of water users are set to paddle out at the UK's beaches rivers and lakes on Saturday 17 May, in protest of the ongoing sewage crisis, which saw untreated sewage discharged more than once a minute, on average, across the UK last year.

The Paddle-Out Protests are taking place as the official bathing season in England and Wales - which runs from 15 May to 30 September- begins, with the public flocking to the UK's blue spaces to enjoy the water in the summer months.

Co-ordinated by environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), the protests are calling for transformational reform of the broken water industry, as sewage pollution remains a threat to the UK’s blue spaces and public health.

SAS has developed a free mobile app, the Safer Seas & Rivers Service, which provides real-time pollution alert for over 450 locations across the UK, helping protect water users from sewage pollution. The charity is encouraging everyone who is attending the Paddle Out Protests to use the app to check the water is safe for a dip.

However, in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where the bathing season runs from 1 June to 15 September, water users are not able to receive pollution alerts through the app, due to inadequate monitoring from the devolved governments, an issue which SAS is campaigning to address.

Giles Bristow, CEO at Surfers Against Sewage said: “Another year, another summer of swimming and surfing in sewage while our shameless water companies laugh all the way to the bank. The public has simply had enough and will be paddling out in their thousands to send a clear message to government and the polluters: end this sewage scandal now!

“Our failing water industry has been trumpeting billions in investment to clean up their act, but we know that these fat cat bosses can’t be trusted to keep their promises. The proof is in the missed targets, shocking statistics and devastating stories of sickness we continue to see year after year. We’ve had enough of their lies, greed and incompetence and know that this nightmare will not end until the whole water system is radically reformed.

“The people paddling out from the West Pier on Brighton Beach are part of a groundswell of Ocean Activists across the UK, letting the water companies, government and Independent Water Commission know, loud and clear, that we will not settle for yet another year of risking our health to swim in the sea.”

“People should be free to use the water without fear of getting sick, and that’s why we developed the Safer Seas & Rivers Service, a free app that provides real-time pollution alerts, giving peace of mind for those worried about sewage pollution.”

The protests are taking place as the Independent Water Commission reviews its evidence before making recommendations to Government on reforming the water industry in England and Wales. Surfers Against Sewage is calling for a total reform of the privatised water sector, demanding that protecting public health and the environment should be prioritised ahead of profit.

With minimal sewage overflow monitoring in Scotland and Northern Ireland (with data reported from just 6.7% and 4.3% of each country’s entire network respectively), protesters paddling out in Scotland and Northern Ireland are calling for proper monitoring, full transparency and for government to address the scale of the issue.

Giles Bristow continued: “We have shown that people power brings about change: we campaigned hard for an Independent Water Commission, and now it must deliver what the public demands. If the government settles for the status quo, history will keep repeating itself and we will never end sewage pollution.

“We cannot keep chucking good money down the drain to service debt, dividends and dodgy bosses, whilst the deluge of sewage discharges contaminates our wild waters and the ocean. The time for tinkering around the edges of a broken system is long gone. This year’s Paddle-Out Protests will show those in power that the public are watching and will not let up until public health and the environment is prioritised over profit.”

Stuart Davies, a Surfers Against Sewage rep and organiser of the Brighton Pier Paddle-Out Protest said: “We are paddling out because we seem to be in the same place each year. We see record levels of sewage pollution in our blue spaces, especially here on the south coast. Many a time, I have been personally affected. I can't go sea swimming. I can't go surfing. I also volunteer for the Wave Project which provides surf therapy for young people. That's been cancelled a few times, and we couldn't go in the water. It makes me extremely angry. We are paddling out in protest of the scandal and to call for total reform of the water industry.”

Last month SAS revealed that sewage was discharged over half a million times into UK waters, with English water companies failing on their EA targets to reduce sewage pollution incidents. Instead of achieving a 40% reduction, incidents increased by 30% - the highest in a decade. Sewage spilled into the sea, rivers and lakes for 4.7 million hours at the same time as shareholders of private water companies cashed in on £1.2 billion in dividends.

Among England’s water companies, United Utilities was the worst offender, spilling sewage over 77,000 times, with Severn Trent, Wessex and Thames Water discharging more sewage than the previous year.

In Wales, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water was responsible for 118,276 sewage discharges, an average of more than one sewage spill every five minutes. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, the true scale of sewage pollution is unclear due to limited monitoring of combined sewage overflows (CSOs.) However, SAS estimates that sewage discharges last year could have been as high as 364,629 and 61,732 respectively.

Surfers Against Sewage is calling for ambitious and radical reform of the water industry in England and Wales, which operates to put the environment and public health ahead of profit, ending sewage pollution for good. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, the charity is calling for real-time sewage alerts and increased monitoring and transparency of sewage discharges into blue spaces.

Following the nationwide Paddle Out Protests, SAS is urging people to email their MP calling for transformational reform of the water industry in England and Wales, and increased transparency and monitoring of water quality in Scotland and Northern Ireland.