'another year, another summer of surfing and swimming in sewage'

SEWAGE WAS DISCHARGED OVER HALF A MILLION TIMES INTO UK WATERS IN 2024 17:08, 21 May 2025Updated 10:47, 22 May 2025 Surfers in Wallasey joined thousands of other environmental campaigners

across the country in a water-based protest of the ongoing sewage crisis. Swimmers, kayakers and bathers also paddled into the waves with placards calling for water industry reform in

England and Wales. According to the Environment Agency, water companies spilled raw sewage for a record time of 3.61m hours into sea and rivers in England in 2024. In 2024, United Utilities

pipes spilled sewage for more than 450,000 hours with nearly 78,000 spill events. However this was a drop of more than 205,000 hours while the number of spills dropped by around 20,000

compared to 2023. United Utilities' annual event duration monitoring (EDM) submission reported a 36% reduction in spill duration, with the number of spills from storm overflows falling

by 21% compared to 2023. On Saturday, May 17, thousands of water users united in a protest, coinciding with the start of the official bathing season in England and Wales - which runs from

May 15 to September 30. The event was organised by environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage. SAS CEO Giles Bristow 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 thousands paddling out across the UK are letting the

water companies, government and Independent Water Commission know, loud and clear, that we will not accept 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 Safer Seas & Rivers Service provides real-time pollution alerts for over 450 locations across the UK, helping protect water users from sewage

pollution. A recent SAS poll of more than 2,000 UK adults, showed 54% were worried about getting sick if they swim in UK waters due to poor water quality Only 19% believed that, by 2030,

they will be able to enjoy the country’s beaches, lakes and rivers without the risk of becoming unwell. More than a third (37%) believed the actions of their water supplier negatively

impacted their local community, and just 31% said they trusted the government to ensure water suppliers will improve infrastructure and reduce sewage spills. Sewage was discharged over half

a million times into UK waters in 2024, with English water companies failing on their Environment Agency targets to reduce sewage pollution incidents. United Utilities was the among the

worst offenders, spilling sewage over 77,000 times. Steven Kenyon, County Business Lead for Wastewater in Merseyside at United Utilities, said: “We’re proud to have been a founding member of

the Mersey Basin Campaign which enabled the environmental and economic regeneration of the city’s waterfront. “Since 1991 we have invested around £3bn in our treatment works and sewer

systems to play our part in improving water quality throughout the river basin. In the next five years we will build on this investment by spending more than £240m across Merseyside to

reduce spills from 20 overflows, which will help to improve bathing waters and rivers in the area. “We are also committed to making further improvements to the wider Mersey catchment that

will help improve water quality in the Mersey estuary. This year we announced a landmark agreement with Liverpool City Region and the Mersey Rivers Trust to explore the long-term solutions

that will help deliver further water quality improvements around Merseyside that we all want to see.” In March, United Utilities signed an MoU with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

and Mersey Rivers Trust, committing to a joint five-year action plan aimed at reducing sewage discharges, improving water quality, and boosting biodiversity across the region. The authority

also worked with the Clean Mersey Group, providing water quality testing kits to help them start to conduct water quality sampling across the River Birket and its tributaries. Stuart Davies,

from Surfers Against Sewage, 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. Article continues below "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.” Fellow protester and keen swimmer Shelley Sim said: “I'm joining the Paddle-Out because sewage doesn't belong in our

seas. Clean water is a right, not a luxury. It's a place of healing and joy and sanctuary for so many people, and it shouldn't also be a place of fear."