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
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
Real time water quality warnings issued to safeguard users at 10 popular beaches
Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) flagship Sewage Alerts Service text message warnings kicked into action last weekend during heavy downpours at some of the most popular beaches in Wales and Southern England.
For the first time ever beach users were warned in real time during raw sewage discharges at popular beaches. SAS provided this vital water quality information FREE to beach users, surfers and watersports enthusiasts who had registered for SAS’s Sewage Alert Service text alerts. . The information was also updated live on SAS’s online... Read more
Surfers Against Sewage To Launch Free Real Time Sewage Alert Service At 55 Beaches UK Wide
SAS recently asked over 200 beach users all around the UK if they wanted to know when sewage is in the sea. A resounding 95% said YES. The good news is, from the start of the bathing season, (15th May), SAS’s revolutionary Sewage Alert Service will inform beach users in real time when raw sewage is discharged into the sea via Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). Providing beach users with these warnings constitutes a dramatic improvement in the provision of public information on sewage spills at some... Read more
SAS Are Ready To Provide Free Real Time Sewage Alerts For All Beach Users
At the start of the bathing season, May the 15th, we’re proud to be launching a new real time sewage warning system that will tell you exactly when sewage is being discharged into the sea at key locations around the UK. We have developed an online map that will automatically update you in real-time with information on combined sewer overflow (CSO) spills at surf spots. You’ll even be able to sign up for free text messages alerting you to sewage spills at some of our nation’s best... Read more
We currently have several live Protect Our Waves campaigns that we urgently need your support on. Spanning access issues, coastal development issues and pollution issues affecting some of the UK's best waves, we need YOU to add your voice to the growing wave of support to protect surf spots nationwide. Adding your support is vital to the campaign to protect waves and the UK’s coastline from the ever-increasing myriad of... Read more
Good things come to those who wait
A Surfers Against Sewage campaign victory, secured in the revised Bathing Water Directive was launched on the 25th of March by the Environment Agency with the publishing of beach profiles for bathing waters. These beach profiles highlight what forms of pollution the beach suffers from and identifies the discharge points.
As well as vital information on sewage discharge points, locations of Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOS) and other sewerage infrastructure, these bathing water profiles also include maps and a description of the beach.
SAS Campaign Director Andy Cummins says: “Bathing water profiles will not make the water cleaner, but... Read more
