Surfers protest against unfiltered sewage in the sea

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She also called for a 90 percent reduction in wastewater discharges by 2030. Swimmers took to the sea in the popular seaside towns of Brighton and Falmouth in southern England and in Scarborough in north-east England, near the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, as well as in northern England. Ireland. Among other things, they demanded on signs: “Get your bowel movements out of our oceans!”

Surfers Against Sewage also criticized the water company’s announcement that it would invest a further £10bn (11.2bn Swiss francs) to modernize its aging sewage system. Ultimately, the consumer has to pay for this with higher bills. The organization, on the other hand, requires companies to finance the costs from their profits. “The public is tired of greed taking priority over the health of our oceans,” said campaign manager Izzy Ross.

In the UK, rainwater and sewage are routed to sewage treatment plants through the same pipes. However, during heavy rainfall, the capacity is sometimes insufficient, especially when – such as after the heat wave in 2022 – the dried up soil cannot absorb the water quickly.

This can cause sewage treatment plants to overflow and flood homes and streets. Therefore, excess wastewater can occasionally be discharged directly into the sea and rivers – but critics argue that a number of sewage treatment plants use this far too often. In 2022, a total of 1.75 million hours of raw sewage flowed into the sea and rivers.

(SDA)

Source: Blick