Surfers celebrate after Saltburn and Tynemouth Beaches saved from sewage treatment winter turn-off's

Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) campaigners are today delighted that Northumbrian Water's application to turn off Ultra-Violet disinfection sewage treatment from October to April at Marske-by-the-Sea has been rejected by the Environment Agency (EA). This is great news for recreational water users at Saltburn beach who won't face the prospect of surfing waves next winter that are compromised by poorer water quality.

We're also pleased that the EA has partially rejected the Northumbrian Water application to turn off Ultra-Violet disinfection at Howdon over the same period, instead only allowing a turn off from December to March. This is relatively good news for the north-east premier surfing spot, Tynemouth a key surfing competition venue. In fact the sewage effluent plume from Howdon tends to generally affect South Shields, used much less by recreational water users, so Tynemouth should maintain its top-notch water quality all year round regardless.

The EA did however grant UV turn offs from October to April at Hendon, Billingham, Seaton Carew and Bran Sands as these were shown to discharge in bathing areas where there is little or no bathing or immersion watersports taking place in the areas that would be affected by turning off the UV treatment.

With the EA making use of SAS methodology in determining recreational water use in these areas, SAS can understand the justification for UV turn offs in this instance.

However, SAS would warn other water companies across the country who may now seek to apply for winter UV sewage turn off's against an easy ride. Northumbrian Water's blanket applications and poor recreational water user survey methodology were shown to be inappropriate and poorly considered. With recreational water sports such as surfing, booming in the UK and participants using the water all year round it will prove difficult for them to seek seasonal UV turn offs at popular beaches.

Richard Hardy, SAS Campaigns Director says: "SAS are satisfied that the outcome of these applications will maintain clean, safe recreational water for the majority of water users in the North East. However, we believe that water companies could become much more energy efficient in other areas of their business first, before they apply to turn off UV disinfection. This is the laziest option for saving energy as you're just flicking a switch from 'on to off' but reducing water quality, potentially compromising it for the health of those individuals using the sea. We're stoked that the key beaches of Saltburn and Tynemouth won't be affected from next year and will strive hard to protect other well used beaches around the country from similar moves by water companies".

Nick Noble, a Saltburn surfer and regional representative for SAS says: "The local surfers will delight in this decision after a hard hitting campaign launched by SAS in October 2006. We look forward to running our 2008 Autumn Open Surfing Competition in the safe knowledge we'll have retained the highest standards of water quality to compete in without fear of falling sick!"

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