Campaigners call for radical change to water industry as sewage dumping battle continues

THOUSANDS of water users around the UK paddled out in a nationwide protest against sewage pollution earlier this month.

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Protesters in Cornwall joined others at more than 40 beaches, rivers, and lakes around the UK. They were calling for reform of the water industry in England and Wales, and clearer monitoring and transparency of the sewage crisis in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

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

According to SAS, new polling data from a survey of 2,000 UK adults by Opinium shows that less than one in five UK adults (19%) believe they will be able to swim safely at their local spot by 2030 without risking their health due to sewage pollution.

More than half (54%) worry they will get sick if they swim in the UK's rivers, lakes and seas. More than a third (37%) believe the actions of their water supplier has negatively impacted their local community.

Less than a third (32%) trust the Government to ensure water suppliers will improve infrastructure and reduce sewage spills.