Sewerage System Failures in Torbay and the Isle of Wight
We've been celebrating the arrival (well nearly) of Spring but have this week been disappointed to receive reports of two significant sewage discharges in Torbay and on the Isle of Wight, details of which can be found below.
SAS believe that any impact upon bathing water quality caused by avoidable sewerage system failure is un-acceptable and we will always work with water companies, local councils and the Environment Agency to prevent these failures and protect the health of all UK recreational water users.
SAS Sewage Discharge Alert – Torbay – Hopes Nose Emergency Overflow
There... Read more
Concern about marine pollution and conservation is growing amongst UK surfers, a recent online aimed at the surfing public has shown. The survey aimed to find out if those who enjoy surfing as a leisure pursuit are concerned about the marine environment and conservation issues. It was commissioned in January 2013 by Sea-Changers in collaboration with Surfers Against Sewage, and was completed by 300 surfers.
The key headlines from the survey were:
Over three quarters of surfers (77%) describe themselves as ‘very concerned’ about marine conservation issues.
94% of surfers believe that pollution from sewage outlets to be a serious problem.
Christmas is almost here and millions of people will soon be preparing the biggest roast dinner of the year. Unfortunately, our beaches can suffer as a result due to the huge volume of fats, oils and greases (FOGs) poured down kitchen sinks. When FOGs are poured down sinks or drains, they quickly cool and congeal on sewer walls, restricting the amount of sewage the system can process resulting in raw sewage overflows into rivers, the sea or, even worse, into our homes.
To highlight this problem, Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) and the Environment Agency are teaming up to... Read more
Surfers Against Sewage is celebrating the decision of the European Courts of Justice ruling that Northumbrian Water and Thames Water are illegally discharging raw sewage via combined sewer overflows (CSOs). This ruling sets a precedent that will send shock waves around the UK water industry, highlighting the overuse of CSOs as a means to discharge untreated sewage onto UK beaches and into rivers. Thanks to data from its pioneering Sewage Alert Service, SAS are uniquely placed to identify further offending CSOs similarly breaching the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) and will deliver this damning evidence to the Department for... Read more
Think Before You Flush (TBYF) is an award-winning SAS initiative which raises public awareness about the problem that sanitary products (known in the business as Sewage Related Debris or SRD) cause in the sewage system and subsequently the marine environment when flushed down the toilet.
SAS is proud to announce Porthleven as the World’s first Think Before You Flush Town. Working closely with the Environment Agency, SAS successfully engaged the Porthleven community with the TBYF campaign, empowering them protect local beaches from unwanted sewage discharges and sanitary waste.
SAS was joined by one of the UK’s best professional surfers, Alan Stokes,... Read more
SAS are disgusted and dismayed that Guernsey’s Deputies voted yesterday to continue the archaic practice of discharging the 65,000 people’s raw sewage out to sea daily, reneging on promises to the islanders for full sewage treatment yet again.
The Deputies were told by the Public Service Department that ‘natural’ sewage treatment could deal with 65,000 people’s raw sewage. ‘Natural’ sewage treatment consists of the sea, sun and tides. SAS delivered a dossier outlining basic errors in Guernsey’s Public Service Department ‘Liquid Waste Strategy’ to all the Deputies and were buoyed by the support in the lead up to the debate.
• The... Read more
On the 25th Of January 2012 Guernsey’s Public Service Department will recommend the States of Guernsey continues the filthy daily act of discharging 16,000 tons of raw sewage and waste water directly into the sea. This recommendation flouts the absolute minimum standards that the rest of Europe and the majority of the developed world adheres too. And it’s a slap in the face for Guernsey locals who have consistently called for better protection for their beautiful beaches. If the States of Guernsey agree to continuing this archaic practice, Guernsey could be left holding the title of Europe’s dirty little island.
On the... Read more
Today Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) and their 9ft Sewer Surfer are again back on the beaches of Guernsey to expose the distorted and misleading information published in the Liquid Waste Strategy report, relating to Guernsey’s continuous untreated sewage discharge policy. Guernsey’s Public Service Department’s recent Liquid Waste Strategy report contains fundamental errors on the impacts of continuous untreated sewage discharge, again risking the reputation of the island; particularly as a tourist destination. SAS maintains its call for the island to treat all its sewage effluent to sufficient levels.
At 1pm SAS campaigners and their 9ft Sewer Surfer will be... Read more
SAS Call For A Halt To ‘Sewage Related Debris’ On World Toilet Day
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly; SAS Demand That Producers Of Sanitary Products Ensure Consumers ‘Think Before They Flush’
To mark the 10th anniversary of World Toilet Day, clean water campaigners Surfers Against Sewage’s (SAS) are releasing the results of an undercover ‘Think Before You Flush’ investigation that has seen SAS ‘Secret Shoppers’ scour the high street stores for sanitary items whose packaging does not carry appropriate disposal information (such as the ‘Bag It And Bin It, Don’t Flush It’ icon). SAS believe this information is nothing more... Read more
The 2011 bathing season results are released today and the figures are raising concerns at Surfers Against Sewage. Many beaches in England and Wales may be meeting woefully inadequate water quality standards set down 35 years ago, but this still leaves bathers exposed to significant numbers of sewage spills and possible serious health implications. Today SAS will brief Defra Minister Richard Benyon MP on their pioneering Sewage Alert Service. This service has delivered the public with unprecedented insight into how frequently raw sewage is discharged into the sea. Since May 2011 SAS has sent out 64,000 free real time sewage... Read more
