Thousands of water users are set to paddle out at the UK’s beaches, rivers and lakes in protest of the ongoing sewage crisis which saw the equivalent of 67 sewage discharges an hour across the country 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. Last year, there were 8,704
sewage discharges in England during the bathing season, an average of more than 60 a day.
Co-ordinated
by environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), a record number of protests at over 40 UK-wide locations are set to take place, with surfers, swimmers,
kayakers and bathers taking to the water to take
a stand against sewage pollution.
Three protests are scheduled for the London area, including an
inland protest in Stratford where campaigners will be skateboarding
on ‘surf-skates’ in protest of sewage pollution
with Concrete Waves London. The locations are:
·
Elmbridge Canoe Club, Weybridge (Surrey)- 10:30am
·
Windsor, River Thames (London/Surrey) – 12pm
·
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford (London) – 1pm
·
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.
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 in London 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.
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.”
