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 Sewage Alert Service, Text Alerts Now Available For South West Beaches
17 more beaches can now offer free real time text warnings when sewage spills.
We are pleased to welcome an extra 17 new beaches across Cornwall, Devon and Saltburn to their revolutionary Sewage Alert Service. We have spent the past year working closely with South West Water (SWW), Northumbrian Water the Environment Agency (EA), local authorities and Visit Cornwall. SAS commend the water companies for voluntarily providing SAS with real time information on raw sewage discharges from Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). There are now 44 beaches around England and Wales where we... 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
Clean water campaigners Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) are extremely disappointed with the Planning Inspector's weak ruling, requiring water companies to make only minor improvements to their 4,000 unregulated Combine Sewer Overflows (CSOs). These minor improvements fall far short of what is needed to protect and improve the environment and SAS feel this has been an opportunity lost.
SAS supported the Environment Agency's proposed conditions, which didn't require excessive investment. Yet incredible, after 20 years of leniency, rather than embrace the decision with good grace the water companies involved appealed against 94% of the discharge consents! The appeal was brought before the... Read more
SAS campaigners starred in this weeks shocking BBC 1 Panorama programme 'Britain's Dirty Beaches'. The programme showed the nation SAS's exclusive footage of raw sewage discharging into rivers and bathing waters. This is a scene that is replicated in rivers, seas and bathing waters all over the country after heavy rain.
It was the most watched Panorama programme of the year and really hit a nerve across the country. The response we have received since Panorama aired has been fantastic, a mixture of shock at the previously hidden primitive methods of regular sewage disposal and gratitude to SAS for helping Panorama... Read more
Clean water campaigners Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) are celebrating a major campaign victory as the States of Guernsey finally committed to full sewage treatment. This is great news for Guernsey's recreational water users, bathers, water related businesses and the reputation of Guernsey. SAS have been campaigning on Guernsey for full sewage treatment since September 2004. During that period SAS has delivered nearly 20 actions calling for full sewage treatment while an estimated 6,574,500,000 gallons of wastewater and raw sewage has been dumped untreated into the sea off Guernsey.
Victory was almost in reach when the States of Guernsey's Public Service Department... Read more
With the States of Guernsey meeting on Wednesday to decide the future of wastewater charges, Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) campaigners are reminding Deputies that last year's bathing water results were again very disappointing and in years to come are likely only to get worse as European Bathing Water legislation is strengthened.
Having received copies of the 2008 water quality data it appears more than half of Guernsey's designated bathing waters have failed to meet Europe's guideline standard on water quality, with Pembroke beach failing all together.
With a recent strengthening of Europe's water legislation, meeting new bathing water quality standards of the... Read more
New regulations that prevent sewage pollution from ships came into force yesterday in the UK.
The regulations will help the UK control a shipping industry, which the Government believes could be responsible for 5% of all coastal sewage pollution incidents.
This is welcome news to the campaigners at Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) who have been concerned by the length of time it has taken for international agreements made by MARPOL on 'prevention of pollution by sewage from ships' to be transposed into UK law.
The new law targets ships that are over 400 gross tonnes (GT) in weight or those less than 400GT... Read more
Clean water campaigners Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) are supporting the De Lisle/Fallaize amendment to the Public Services Department proposal for first time wastewater charges to be introduced in Guernsey.
The new amendment tabled by Deputy David De Lisle and seconded by Matt Fallaize is an improvement on the Public Service Departments' proposal for islanders. It calls on the States to commit to "full sewage treatment" with the relevant work needed, to be funded by the "ring-fenced additional fixed charge". The amendment calls for these commitments within an achievable timescale. SAS has urged all Deputies to support this amendment.
The De Lisle/Fallaize amendment... Read more
