Anti-pollution campaigners stage second ‘Splashmob’ protest in Worthing - These are the demands that were made

Demanding Southern Water be brought back into public ownership – and ‘angry at the repeated pollution’ of local beaches – residents, campaigners and Unite community members gathered for a ‘splashmob’ protest in Yeoman Road on Thursday (November 3). They wanted to highlight the water company’s ‘continued failure to invest to stop the leaks and pollution’.

In response, Southern Water said it recognises that ‘there is a still long way for our industry to go’.

"But here at Southern Water we have and continue to make improvements every day,” a spokesperson said.

The protest was called by the South East Region of Unite Community, part of the trade union, Unite and comes a year after the previous protest – ‘when the company vowed to make improvements’.

Chairman of Unite Community Sussex Coast branch, Dorothy Macedo, said: “In November last year we held a demonstration and the company promised improvements. Instead the situation has got even worse.

“Pollution and leaks have been a regular occurrence and the company has failed to make the necessary investment to address this.

“We are angry at Southern Water for failing to make good on its promise to take action to stop the leaks and pollution of our beaches. And even angrier at the government for letting companies like Southern Water off the hook scot free.

“We won’t be fobbed off anymore, and want our water back. Now is the time for Southern Water to be brought back into public ownership, private companies have no right to own our water supplies."

Southern Water said it was ‘aware of Unite’s demonstration’.

The spokesperson added: “We are spending £600m in 2022 to improve our network; and a further £350m on securing supply for our customers, including a new reservoir in Havant.

"We haven’t paid a dividend to shareholders since 2017, and are putting our money into improving our network and infrastructure and, in total, we plan to invest £2 billion (c. £1,000 per household) between 2020 and 2025.”

Unite community coordinator John Barr said the bad weather ‘did curtail numbers quite significantly’ at the event, with around 50 local residents turning up.

Mr Barr added: “We want proper investment in infrastructure. It’s a very important issue that affects the whole community in the Worthing area and wider.”

Local environmental community group, Worthing CAN – which was formed to ‘join the fight against climate change and for climate justice’ – offered its support to the demonstration.

The group’s post on Twitter read: “People from around West Sussex were there and plenty of support from passersby. #WeWantOurWaterBack #StopSewagePollution.”

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