On the 23rd of January SAS campaigners polled holiday makers travelling to Guernsey by ferry, asking what they knew about Guernsey’s sewage strategy and how they felt about it:

• An alarming 93% of respondents had no idea Guernsey still continuously discharges untreated sewage.

• Over 90% of the holiday makers responding said this information would influence their decision on whether or not they would visit the island again.

• 79% of all the people questioned said they wouldn’t be happy to use the beaches and the seas around Guernsey.

(Poll completed on the 23rd of Jan 2012 at Weymouth ferry port.)

This sends an unequivocal message to the States of Guernsey!

The States of Guernsey has twice before committed to sewage treatment only to quietly renege when the raw sewage debate had left the spotlight. The first time in the late 90s, and secondly in 2009, after 5 years of consistent activity by SAS, including the second largest petition in the island’s history (collected in little over a month). Since 2009 SAS has been giving Guernsey the credit for committing to responsible sewage treatment. But the Public Service’s U-turn has brought the issue back to the top of the campaign & media agenda.

Hundreds of SAS supporters from Guernsey, the UK and around the world have registered their disgust using SAS’s social media channels, including Facebook & Twitter. Condemnation has been rife on Guernsey’s facebook page. A selection of the social media comments include

Jim Lockyer said “What a shame, I was planning a trip to Guernsey this August to visit some friends. I am now having second thoughts as I don’t want my kids getting ill.”

Joelle Pengelley said “I say that I’m proud to be from Guernsey and I boast to my mates at Uni that we have amazing beaches. But that won’t be for much longer. Why do you want to ruin what is one of the best aspects about our island by putting raw sewage in our ocean! Find another option!”

Elspeth Vanguard said: “Revolting! Holidaying somewhere else this year”.

Andrew Reg Rendell said: “Raw sewerage? are you crazy I was coming over but just cancelled. I will go somewhere else and take the family somewhere clean and safe”

Jan Gale said: “This is not a civilised thing to do. I will not return this year on the cat as I had planned and hope everyone gets to know about this disgusting practice.”

Darren Smith said: “C’mon Guernsey, 16,000 tons of raw sewage and you expect tourists. I’m stopping in Weymouth for my main holiday this year and was looking forward to catching the ferry to discover your wonderful beaches. No chance now.”

Dan Hacking said: “Considering a family trip……not now, may as well go swim in my local sewer!”

On Friday the 19th SAS met with the Public Service minister Bernard Flouquet and representatives from Guernsey Water and the Public Service team. SAS left disappointed as the Guernsey representatives could not justify several unsubstantiated claims within their reports. Most notably, claims that Guernsey are meeting the requirements of the relevant European legislation (although not legally binding for Guernsey, they are used as a benchmark). And removing 65,000 people’s organic matter from Guernsey’s raw sewage would “have no significant impact on bacterial loads (in the sewage to be discharged)” Public Service’s Liquid Waste Strategy 2011.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) joins SAS in urging Guernsey to treat their sewage responsibly. MCS Coastal Pollution Officer, Rachel Wyatt said: “ The MCS Good Beach Guide only recommends beaches with the best bathing water quality around the UK, and has been unable to recommend those affected by the poor treatment of Guernsey’s sewage.”

SAS Campaign Director, Andy Cummins says: “Today the States of Guernsey has the opportunity to listen to the widespread disgust and react responsible before it’s too late for Guernsey. Listen to your resident and visitors, look elsewhere around the world and then support responsible sewage treatment to ensure Guernsey benefits from the cleanest and safest possible coastline.”

For more information on this campaign please contact Andy Cummins on 01872 555 952 – 07711 767 548 or email andy@sas.org.uk & Rachel Wyatt: Marine Conservation Society – Coastal Pollution Officer – 01989 561 657 / 01989 566 017

At 1pm SAS campaigners and their 9ft Sewer Surfer will be on Pembroke beach at the west end.  Pembroke is currently failing bathing water standards set down over 35 years ago and the report acknowledges its water quality is impacted by the outfall at Belle Greve.   

According to SAS, the Public Services Department have produced a flawed Liquid Waste Strategy report recommending the continuation of discharging 16,000 tons untreated sewage daily, via the Belle Greve long sea outfall. Instead of installing the necessary sewage treatment infrastructure, Public Services recommend installing diffusers that will merely whisk up the raw sewage after it has passed through grates to remove the sanitary debris, without removing the harmful pathogens.

The report’s misleading recommendation is based on inaccurate assumptions that fail to take into account the accepted benefits of primary & secondary sewage treatment in the reduction of the number of harmful pathogens contained in effluent.

Point 8.3. from the Liquid Waste Strategy wrongly states “…The provision of primary settlement would remove a percentage of the suspended solids and BOD but would have no significant impact on bacteria…”  This is incorrect and overlooks the importance of primary treatment stages.  Primary sewage treatment would remove the vast majority of the organic material.  This is the first step of responsible sewage treatment and a vital component in reducing the number of harmful pathogens along with their ability to survive in the marine environment. 

To clarify, it is accepted that organic material in sewage effluent reduces the effectiveness of the ‘natural UV treatment process’ (sunlight) that the department are promoting as a solution to sanitising Guernsey’s untreated sewage effluent.  Organic matter will also actively prolong the life of harmful pathogens in the waters around Guernsey by providing nutrients and protection from predators such as zooplankton.  This is precisely why EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91) standards, insist on primary treatment, including the removal of organic matter,  as the very bare minimum,  a directive Guernsey are supposedly using as a benchmark.

This fundamental mistake undermines the report’s recommendations.  The Liquid Waste Strategy document makes numerous questionable statements, which SAS will be challenging at a meeting with Deputy Flouquet on Friday 20^th January. 

SAS believes the Metoc report, paid for by Guernsey’s residents, contains various additional shortcomings and unsupported recommendations. 

The report highlights only 3 bathing waters within the influence of the Belle Greve outfall, including Pembroke.  Pembroke is currently failing water quality standards set down over 35 years ago and the report acknowledges the outfall as a potential source of contributing pollution. The effluent impact modelling used by Metoc is commonly used for modelling effluent that has been treated to a much higher level and stripped of the organic matter, so is not an accurate model for the Guernsey outfalls.  As we have outlined above, untreated sewage, such as that from Belle Greve, will be more persistent in the marine environment and so the area affected by the Belle Greve outfall may be much more extensive than these three locations.   SAS are questioning the modelling data and believe that the impacts from the Belle Greve outfall are felt far further afield than Metoc have suggested.  SAS’s beliefs are supported by consistently poor water quality results along Guernsey’s west coast.

The States of Guernsey have a history of reneging on their commitment to responsible waste water strategies when they feel the spotlight has moved on.  After securing such a commitment from the States of Guernsey in 2009, SAS have stopped campaigning whilst the Public Services Department identified improved sewage treatment methods for the island.  However, the campaign is now back on.  Hundreds of SAS supporters posted their disgust on Facebook and twitter at the Public Services strategy earlier this week.  Next week in the lead up to the States debate SAS will increase the pressure with multiple campaign actions. 

There have already been several hundred Facebook interactions on Wednesday posted on SAS’s & Guernsey’s facebook page, including:

Colin Fleming

“I’ll not be visiting Guernsey any longer…………raw sewage discharge, no thanks!!”

Mary Stokes

“Who wants to swim/ surf/ paddle in waters which have had 16,000 tons of raw sewage discharged into them every single day? Most definitely not me. Won’t be visiting any time soon, I prefer my water crap free. This stinks!”

And Twitter too went wild with hundreds more interactions, including:

@eightsmd Avril

“Bad decision. Wrong on every level. Don’t pollute our oceans.”

@LoopyMau Laura Gardner

“Taking the Channel Islands off my to-visit list – there’s no excuse!”

SAS Campaign Director Andy Cummins says:  “Discharging 16,000 tons of raw sewage off the coast of Guernsey is an archaic practice.  If the Public Service department are successful in selling their strategy Guernsey will stand out internationally as a dirty island.  Islanders deserve better sewage treatment and visitors are demanding it.”

Report on the survival of pathogens in the marine environment.

ENTERIC BACTERIA SURVIVAL FACTORS http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15353/12709.pdf    

Campaign Highlights So Far            

After a packed public meeting with Guernsey’s water sports community SAS launched the campaign and delivered their demands to Minister Bell, Public Services Minister in October 2004

Dec 04, SAS hand in the 2^nd largest petition (collected in just over a month) to Minister Bell. 

SAS ensured Guernsey’s dumping of 65,000 people’s raw sewage was a national news issue and the hottest topic on the island.   

In December 2005 SAS’s Dr Loo arrived on Guernsey to warn of poor water quality results in the future.  A warning that came all too true!

In January 2006 SAS campaigners spent 65 hours on the steps of the States of Guernsey in record low temperatures.  Campaigners were warmly received by the Guernsey locals.

In January 2006 SAS ended the vigil by launching a sewage counter tracking the billions of gallons of raw sewage and waste water dumped off Guernsey. 

January 2007 SAS highlight the States of Guernsey’s attempts to fudge the issue hoping we’ll give up!

September 2007, SAS meet all seaward bound visitors to Guernsey, ensuring they were made aware of exactly what Guernsey does with it’s sewage -  dump it into the sea untreated!

Surfing zombies at a States meeting on Halloween 2007.  We came within a couple of votes of full sewage treatment that time.  

April 2008, in the run up to local elections SAS towed the turd around the island calling on candidates to support SAS’s campaign.  The majority of sheriffs supported the SAS campaign for full sewage treatment. 

2009 SAS secure clean water commitment for Guernsey

 Poole Harbour Commissioners are proposing several new developments for the harbour, including a 950 berth marina together with a cruise liner berth. This proposed development could be sited 200 metres off the beach at Hamworthy Park. This would have a devastating impact for windsurfers, kitesurfers and dingy sailors in the area.  The development would cut across the first tack these waveriders would need to take when launching from the Hamworthy Park area and effectively prevent windsurfing in particular from the beach in the normal SW/S prevailing winds.      

SAS supporters can lodge your opposition to this inappropriate development here:   http://www.petition.co.uk/drop-a-piano-on-this-marina-plan/ 

Poole Harbour Commission’s consultation closes on the 23^rd of Jan so please register your views before then

SEWAGE

Since going live in May our Sewage Alert Service has sent almost 80,000 text alerts, warning you when raw sewage has been discharged at your favourite beaches.  Even in deepest, darkest winter we are still able to provide this vital information at key surf spots.  In 2011 we were able to provide the Sewage Alert Service at 50 beaches.  We have already secured 150 beaches for 2012, including some awesome surf spots!

https://www.sas.org.uk/news/2011/10/03/sas-send-over-37000-free-real-time-sewage-alert-texts/

https://www.sas.org.uk/campaigns/sewage-and-sickness/sewage-alert-service/

PROTECT OUR WAVES

This was the year you guys really engaged with SAS on the Protect Our Waves (POW) campaigns.  Early tip offs about threats to Challaborough and Freshwater Bay (IoW) gave us plenty of time to mobilise great support for the waves and as a result they are free from threat.  But as the saying goes, waves are never saved, they are always being saved.  https://www.sas.org.uk/news/2011/11/02/pow-victory-at-challaborough/

https://www.sas.org.uk/news/2011/09/26/isle-of-wight-waveriders-give-an-emphatic-no-to-harbour-development/

We have also been busy ensuring surfing is representing in various offshore renewable developments.  We strongly believe offshore wind, wave and tidal energy can help the UK reduce our carbon emission and energy demands.  However, we will work tirelessly to ensure that these developments are placed in areas that will not impact on our waves.  https://www.sas.org.uk/campaigns/protect-our-waves/coastal-development/

https://www.sas.org.uk/news/2011/05/20/surfers-drop-in-on-international-wave-energy-conference/

We delivered our POW campaigns on at the Global Wave Conference and it’s safe to say, few organisations globally have as much experience, knowledge and expertise to protect waves.  We were stoked to be able to share our ideas with others and inspired by the passion around the world.

https://www.sas.org.uk/campaigns/protect-our-waves/global-wave-conference/

MARINE LITTER

Our 2011 beach clean activities were vast and varied, and even managed to surpass last year’s record breaking efforts.  There have been SAS beach cleans in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Island.  Over 3,000 volunteers have helped remove over almost 10 tons of litter, most of it plastics.  And we all know the problems plastic can cause for the environment and the wildlife that live in it.      

And we don’t just ask our members to document what they see, our beach clean volunteers are an integral part of many campaigns.  From the world’s first ever TrashMob! To the award winning Return To Offender campaign, you are the cogs of an effective marine campaign that is working towards turning the tide of trash that threatens all our beaches.     

https://www.sas.org.uk/sas-tv/2011/03/27/motivocean-surfing-lessons-beach-clean-at-sennen/

https://www.sas.org.uk/news/2011/02/09/sas%e2%80%99s-olympic-beach-clean-tour/

THE SAS COMMUNITY

Our SAS reps have another year’s experience representing surfers and waveriders all around the UK.  Everyone at SAS’s HQ is incredible proud and continually inspired by the dedication and attitude of our 21 volunteer reps.  They are your voice for SAS all around the UK.  Tell them about any concerns you have surrounding your surf spots and they can mobilise the entire SAS network. 

This year they have delivered multiple beach clean operations, helped on hard hitting sewage campaigns, delivered motivational school talks, raised fantastic amounts and represented SAS on TV, in the papers and on the radio. https://www.sas.org.uk/campaigns/2011/11/23/nationwide-campaigns-nationwide-network-nationwide-support/        

We have set a target of 40 reps in important surf and waveriding communities for 2012.  Are you the type of person we should have in the next wave of SAS reps?  https://www.sas.org.uk/sas-background/sas-reps/

Looking forward to 2012, we know our coastal communities will face wave after wave of threats.  However, SAS is stronger, with an experienced core team and a passionate supporter base.  We are best placed to tackle these threats head on, using all the campaigning tools at our disposal to Protect Our Waves.

We simply added this image and our thoughts. PLEASE, whatever you do, don’t copy this image and post on their FB page telling them what you think of Mountain Dew using our beaches as rubbish dumps, that would probably upset them! 

Over 50 SAS supporters have already done this, and Iain Rex even tweaked the SAS image and made this cool version. 

We have also taken the best 20 comments and added them to a Christmas card for the MD of Pepsi and Mountain Dew calling on them to urgently review their promo practices and reprimand the promo team responsible.   Can you guess the card image is?   

THANKS for all the support!

SAS & The Crown Estate were delighted to welcome over 220 beach clean volunteers to the North Devon Beach Clean Series, who together removed over 650kgs of marine litter from this amazing stretch of the UK’s coastline. Taking place over two weekends in November, SAS visited five very different beaches from the surfer friendly expanse of Saunton, where we were joined by an amazing 105 volunteers, to the isolated beauty of Woody Bay. As ever, we were overwhelmed and inspired by the commitment and enthusiasm of our volunteers who are helping Surfers Against Sewage turn the tide on marine litter.

The amount of marine litter found on UK beaches has more than doubled in the last 15 years. In a recent survey, 63.5% of litter found on UK beaches was made of plastic, which can take hundreds of years to break down and can be lethal to marine wildlife. With 80% of this debris arriving from land-based sources, including the general public, the power is in our hands to make a positive difference to stop the growing problem of marine litter. Beach cleans are a great way to remove marine litter, inspire community action and ensure the beach is a clean and safe place for all to enjoy.

Woolacombe & Saunton

Over 150 volunteers joined us in glorious sunshine and helped to remove almost half a tonne of marine litter from Woolacombe and Saunton beaches.

Woolacombe 13.11.11: Beautiful weather and perfect waves provided the perfect backdrop for the first of the SAS/Crown Estate North Devon Beach Clean series. Sadly we were also greeted by a vast strandline full of ocean microplastics and mermaids tears. 51 volunteers helped us to remove 96kg of litter from this well-kept beach, the vast majority of the litter collected consisted of marine microplastics such as our old foe, thousands of ‘Mermaids Tears’. The weird fish competition was won by Maggie, who found a frying pan!

Saunton 14.11.11: Over 100 beach clean volunteers, including many from the day before at Woolacombe helped us to remove a massive 376kg of marine litter. The weird fish was won hands down by a pair of fisherman’s galoshes (luckily minus the fisherman).

Westward Ho!, Woody Bay & Lynmouth

The final weekend had more than a touch of winter to it, however that did not stop over 60 hardy beach lovers from joining us in removing over 180kgs of marine litter from three very different but equally important North Devon beaches.

Westward Ho! 26.11.11: The SAS tent blew down but the 30+ knot onshore winds didn’t deter 37 volunteers of all ages and backgrounds helping us to remove 91kgs of marine litter. The Weirdfish competition was won by the sea weathered section of a Litterbin. The discovery of a dead seabird (over 1 million seabirds die each year from the ingestion of and entanglement in marine plastic litter) with plastic fishing line inside it’s body cavity placed some perspective on the day.

Woody Bay 27.11.11 (morning): Woody Bay is arguably the most stunning and difficult beach to access that SAS has cleaned this year. After a 30 minute walk down the steep cliff Exmoor cliffs were greeted by a pristine, empty beach. The feeling of isolation and wildness only served to emphasise just how vital it is to protect our coastline.

Lynmouth 27.11.11 (afternoon): 18 beach lovers (some of whom had been with us at Woody Bay) braved the cold, cold northerly winds and a darkening sky to remove 94kgs of marine litter. We were also honoured by a visit from the Mayor, who thanked us for our efforts. The Weirdfish competition was won by Dan who found a small gas canister that is surely much missed by a hungry fisherman.

We’d like to say a massive thank you to each and every volunteer who gave up their time, to our North Devon Beach Clean Series partners The Crown Estate, and to The Museum of British Surfing for their support.

For more information on the Autumn Beach clean series and SAS Beach Cleans in general please contact dom@sas.org.uk or SAS HQ on 01872 553 001.

The Crown Estate

The Crown Estate’s responsibility is to maintain and enhance the value of the estate and its income over the long-term, having regard to good management. We operate as a commercial organisation paying our surplus revenue (profit) to the Treasury for the benefit of the nation every year: in 2010/11 this was £230.9 million. We combine the commercial imperative with an equally firm commitment to integrity and stewardship, part of which involves facilitating the development of marine renewables on our marine estate and providing funds for scientific research and community projects that promote responsible management of the marine estate. We are pleased to support Surfers Against Sewage in their efforts to assist the community in protecting their environment and removing litter from north Devon’s coastline.

http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/

The SAS team has just returned from our annual SAS Regional Reps training weekend. It is always inspiring to bring our regional leaders together to hear about the SAS campaign actions and projects they’ve been active on for their respective stretch of coastline. They bring their local knowledge, local connections, motivations and ideas to help create an increasingly strong national SAS movement tackling coastal pollution.

The weekend included classroom sessions, interactive presentations and activities, and beach-based exercises. We included a beach clean and, using the collected marine litter, implemented lots of Return To Offender (RTO) activity. In just an hour of beach cleaning our team removed 78kgs of litter and then sent over 50 items back to manufacturers through the RTO campaign!

We’d like to thank LUSH and the Patagonia Tides Foundation who have been hugely supportive of our Regional Reps in 2011 and of our work tackling marine litter this year. Their support has made this event possible. We’d like to thank Pickwell Manor for their donation to make the event possible http://www.pickwellmanor.co.uk/ Thanks to SAS Directors Ben Hewitt, Richard Gregory and Jim Gorrod for all their help with the event.

We would also like to thank LUSH and Barefoot Wine for their support for the SAS Reps Awards.

The winners were:

• Best Educators – Ross Beese & Alice Middleton, West Wales
• Best Community & Beach Clean Engagement – Mikey Corker, North Devon
• Long Service Award – Alasdair Steele, Edinburgh
• Outstanding Contribution – Steve Trewhella, West Dorset
• Campaign Contribution – Chris McClean, Lincolnshire
• Best Fundraiser – Elliot Dudley, West Wales

But, we would like to say a huge THANK YOU to ALL our SAS Reps who do an amazing job on an entirely voluntary basis.

SAS’s network of voluntary Regional Reps is a huge asset to our on-going campaigns and projects, delivering fantastic results for all our projects. Whether rallying local support for Protect Our Waves issues, organising community beach cleans, contributing to campaign policy or simply banging the membership drum on our behalf, it all makes a massive difference. Of course, our Reps can’t do this without the support and resources from SAS head office, which we strive to improve year on year. As part of this we organise an annual training weekend which involves educational class room sessions, round table discussions and field (or should we say beach) activities. This is the foundation which empowers the team of SAS Regional Reps in protecting your favourite beaches, waves, surf spots and coastlines year round.

Check out the SAS Reps profiles here: SAS REGIONAL REPS

In early 2012, we’ll be adding to our team of Reps, so, if you feel passionately about your local beach, see a gap for SAS representation in your area and have some time to spare, then please send us your CV and a covering note of how you’d like to contribute to our campaigns protecting waves, oceans and beaches around the UK. Please send these to info@sas.org.uk

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 than what should be the minimum industry standard. It is estimated that over 2 billion sanitary items, such as condoms, tampons and wipes are flushed down the toilet every year in the UK; these products end up on the UK’s precious coastline as Sewage Related Debris (SRD). Our toilets are NOT ‘wet’ bins. Not only is SRD unsightly it has been shown to carry harmful bacteria and viruses to our beaches and bathing waters and to cause blockages at sewage treatment plants, resulting in sewage spills. Producers of sanitary items have a responsibility, along with their consumers to minimise the impact that their products have upon the environment, at the very least their products should provide basic disposal information.

Sustainable Achievable Solutions is a cornerstone of all SAS campaigns; therefore our first action in July of this year was to send letters to the companies in question, outlining the issue and our proposed solution. Since then we have made every attempt to engage with the companies we identified that did not have the minimum disposal information on their products. We tried to contact them by phone, email and post asking them to commit, by World Toilet Day, to incorporating appropriate disposal information onto all sanitary products in their next packaging run. Responses to this request were mixed to say the least, the 9 companies listed below and the potential impacts of their inaction fell easily into three categories; The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

The Good: SAS always celebrate the good, as a direct result of our ‘Think Before You Flush Campaign’ the following companies have committed to ensuring that their packaging carries appropriate disposal information and in some cases have already incorporated it, enabling their consumers to make an informed decisions and helping to protect our precious coastline.

1. Pasante Femidoms

2. Witch/Lornamead Cleansing Wipes

3. Cottontails Cotton Wool Pads

4. Thirst Pockets Kitchen Towels

The Bad: SAS believe that ‘Think Before You Flush’ information is nothing short of the minimum industry standard. Therefore we have been extremely disappointed with the responses we have received from some producers of sanitary products, some of whom have more than one product without the bare minimum disposal information, what’s more some companies have refused even to reply to SAS despite multiple attempts to make contact since July of this year, those companies are listed within the “The Bad” table below.

 1. Lil-Lets Tampons (“The used Tampon can be flushed away” on packaging)

2. Boots Feminine wipes (“Simply Flush away” on packaging)

3. Superdrug cotton wool pads and face wipes (No response)

4. Sainsburys Dental Floss

5. Beiresdorf/Nivea Facewipes

The Ugly

We at SAS, our members and beach lovers across the UK are fully aware of the immense threat that marine litter poses to our precious coastline, with the amounts of marine litter found on our beaches almost doubling in the last 15 years. More worrying still is the even greater increase in the amounts of Sewage Related Debris (SRD) being found, in 2010 SRD counted for a horrific 7% of all marine litter. As previously stated, it is estimated that over 2 billion sanitary items are flushed down the toilet every year in the UK, resulting in an average of 95 cotton bud sticks being found per km of our beautiful coastline. SRD is unsightly, carries harmful pathogens to our beaches and bathing waters and can be prevented; SAS ask the UK public to ‘Think Before They Flush’ and to only flush the ‘4 P’s’ (Poo, Pee, Paper and Puke) down their toilets. The very least that these companies can do is to put clear and appropriate disposal information on their sanitary products, helping SAS protect the UK’s oceans, waves and beaches for all to enjoy.

SAS welcome support from Keep Britain Tidy and Richard McIlwain from Keep Britain Tidy said: “Research carried out by Keep Britain Tidy shows that people give little or no thought to what happens once they have flushed items down the toilet, until they are made aware of the environmental impact of their actions.

People want to do something positive to help improve the environment and educating people about responsible disposal is vital. The manufacturers have a key role to play in educating their customers and we would urge them all to join the ‘Think Before You Flush’ campaign to help clean up our coastline. Litter is everyone’s responsibility and disposing of it correctly is vital if we want to ensure our island’s coastline does not find itself drowning in rubbish.”

SAS Campaigns Officer Dom Ferris says: ‘Here at SAS we are sadly only too aware of the threat that marine litter, in particular SRD poses to the UK’s precious coastline. Whilst it’s great news that 4 companies have come on board with the ‘Think Before You Flush’ Campaign, we are both saddened and angered by the apathy of the other 5 companies, especially when you consider how straightforward it would be for them to put this basic information onto their products. More worrying still is that some companies such as Boots and Lil-lets are actively encouraging their consumers to “Simply flush away after use” (Boots Feminine Wipes). They should be ashamed!’

Cotton buds were notable in their absence from the list, although we are still finding unacceptable amounts on the UK’s beaches. However there are signs that their prevalence is decreasing; this is due in part to a successful SAS ‘Think Before You Flush Campaign’ in 2008. Six major high street retailers (Waitrose, Co-op, Asda, Tesco, Marks and Spencer and the Body Shop) agreed to incorporate appropriate disposal information on their cotton bud packaging after months of pressure from SAS, the precedent has been set.

For more information please contact Dom Ferris at dom@sas.org.uk or call SAS HQ on 01872 553 001. Visit www.sas.org.uk for more information on ‘Think Before You Flush’.

SAS’s excellent Autumn continued on the weekend of the 12th & 13th of November at beautiful Woolacombe and Saunton Beaches. Over 150 volunteers  joined us in glorious sunshine and helped to remove almost half a tonne of marine litter from this amazing stretch of coastline.

Woolacombe: Beautiful weather and perfect waves provided the prefect backdrop for the first of our Autumn Beach Clean series in collaboration with the Crown Estate. Sadly we were also greeted by a long, long strandline full of ocean microplastics and mermaids tears. 51 volunteers helped us to remove 96kg of litter from this well kept beach, the vast majority of the litter collected consisted of marine microplastics such as our old foe, thousands of ‘Mermaids Tears’. The weird fish competition was won by Maggie, who found a frying pan!

Saunton: Yet another beautiful day and a smaller swell filled us with enthusiasm and we were amazed by the turnout. Over 100 beach clean volunteers, including many from the day before at Woolacombe, helped us to remove a massive 376kg of marine litter. The weird fish was won hands down by a pair of fishermans galoshes (luckily minus the fisherman).

We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who joined us this weekend, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt how important these beautiful beaches are to the people of North Devon and the UK as a whole. We look forward to the weekend of the 26th and 27th of November at Westward Ho! Full details of the remaining North Devon Beach Clean Series are below;

• Westward Ho! – 26th November 11am – 1pm – Meet on the beach at the bottom of the slipway (we will have two tents and a flag flying)
• Woody Bay – 27th November – 10am – Midday – Meet on the beach  (we will have two tents and a flag flying)
• Lynmouth – 27th November – 2pm – 4pm – Meet on the beach, to the East of the river and in front of the pitch and putt golf (we will have two tents and a flag flying)

Please let us know that you’ll be joining us by emailing dom@sas.org.uk or calling 01872 555 953

Please note:

• SAS will be conducting a health & safety briefing for all volunteers before each event
• Volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by an adult
• We ask all volunteers to come dressed in appropriate clothing, including footwear, for the weather on the day of their beach clean.
• Make sure you protect yourself from the sun, rain or wind!

The Crown Estate

The Crown Estate’s responsibility is to maintain and enhance the value of the estate and its income over the long-term, having regard to good management. We operate as a commercial organisation paying our surplus revenue (profit) to the Treasury for the benefit of the nation every year: in 2010/11 this was £230.9 million. We combine the commercial imperative with an equally firm commitment to integrity and stewardship, part of which involves facilitating the development of marine renewables on our marine estate and providing funds for scientific research and community projects that promote responsible management of the marine estate. We are pleased to support Surfers Against Sewage in their efforts to assist the community in protecting their environment and removing litter from north Devon’s coastline.

http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/

SAS’s Sewage Alert Service is a free real time system that informs people when sewage has been discharged via a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) the sea. SAS post the information on their map at www.sas.org.uk and also send out free text alerts. This summer SAS was able to share this real time information at 47 beaches, the majority of them being Blue Flag Beaches. But the considerable number of discharges was worrying.

SAS’s Sewage Alert Service gives beach users vital water quality information when they need it most – when sewage is in the sea and water quality can be compromised. Unlike the UK water quality testing programme which is retrospective. SAS are working with South West Water, Welsh Water, Wessex Water, Yorkshire Water, Southern Water and Northumbrian Water and receiving technical advice from the Environment Agency and Defra. SAS will dramatically upscale the beaches in the Sewage Alert Service for 2012 and beyond.

Unfortunately, 97.8% of England and Wales’ beaches meeting an outdated and inadequate standard is nothing to shout about. Defra figures show that bathing at a beach with a mandatory standard could give you 1 in 7 chance of contracting Gastro Enteritis. The higher guideline standard can still offer you a 1 in 20 chance of contracting Gastro Enteritis (achieved at 88.2% of beaches at England and Wales).

In 2006 SAS helped secure tougher new bathing water standards that will offer better protection to water users. These standards in the revised Bathing Water Directive will come into force in 2015 and include 4 years of continuous bathing seasons data.

SAS Campaign Director says: “Raw sewage can pose a significant health risk and our Sewage Alert Service is a step forward for beach users, providing the only real time warnings of sewage pollution at UK bathing waters. This is the only way beach users can actually avoid coming into contact with sewage spills from combined sewer overflows. We are hoping for continued support from Defra Minster Richard Benyon, the EA and the water companies to make the Sewage Alert Service even better in 2012.”

SAS are also promoting their Think Before You Flush campaign to encourage the public to stop using the toilet as a wet bin as this can result in sewer blockages and sewage discharges. And SAS are impressed with EA pilot projects tackling diffuse pollution, another impact on water quality.