Ocean charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) is protesting against sewage dumping at Kingston Beach in Southwick this Saturday.
SAS claims that Southern Water has been releasing untreated wastewater for almost 200 hours since Christmas near Kingston Beach, which puts swimmer’s health at risk.
The protest will be from 12-1 pm, and people are encouraged to wear wetsuits and swimsuits and bring banners.
Surfers Against Sewage Paddle Out protest in Brighton in 2023 (Image: Grant Winter)
Clare Osborn, SAS volunteer regional representative, said: “We want to make a fuss so that the water companies know that we are not happy about the fact that they are not investing in infrastructure, and instead are siphoning away the money that we have paid for infrastructure into shareholders pockets.”
Untreated sewage contains bacteria such as E. coli and can cause different illnesses, including stomach upset and eye and skin irritations.
SAS claims that Adur Council, Southern Water, and the Environment Agency did not post warnings about this recent sewage dumping.
Surfers Against Sewage Paddle Out protest in Brighton in 2023 (Image: Grant Winter)
A Southern Water spokesperson, said: “We completely understand the concerns raised about storm overflows, and agree with our communities that these must be reduced as quickly as possible.
“This is why we recently launched our ground-breaking £1.5bn Clean Rivers and Seas Plan to prevent our sewers being inundated by ground and surface water infiltration, which on occasions is released into the environment to prevent homes from flooding.
“There are many influences on the quality of water off our coast beyond Southern Water’s control. This is particularly true of working harbours, like Shoreham, which is not a designated bathing water.
“The designated bathing waters on the outside of the harbour at both Shoreham beach and Southwick, are both rated excellent by Defra based on testing results by the Environment Agency.”
SAS wants MPs to implement their End Sewage Pollution Manifesto, which includes plans to enforce the law, stop pollution for profit, and prioritise high-risk pollution.
Clare Osborn, said: “A lot of people don’t understand or know what’s going on, so that’s why we want to create these events to raise awareness.”
To find out more, visit https://www.sas.org.uk/.
Report By Nadia Abbas
