Take action to improve water quality
Across the UK, sewage is being dumped in our rivers, lakes and seas by water companies – nearly one million discharges in 2024 alone. Communities are getting sick while shareholders profit.
This crisis isn’t accidental. Since privatisation, water companies have paid out £74.2 billion in dividends, ignored crumbling infrastructure, and loaded up on debt – while regulators stand by and customers foot the bill.
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, a lack of transparency allows pollution to continue unchecked. And still, no one is being held accountable.
Enough is enough. No more paddling in sh*t. No more lifeless rivers. No more broken promises.
We’re building a powerful nationwide movement to #EndSewagePollution – for people, for wildlife, for the blue spaces we all depend on. We’re speaking truth to power, demanding bold reform, and calling for an end to profit-driven pollution.
Engage and influence your MP, MS, MSP or MLA – show them how sewage is impacting your area and just how outraged your community is. Get them to be a champion for new laws to end sewage pollution, once and for all. Don’t know where to get started? Use our email tool to reach out to them today!
Don’t swim in sewage - fight it. Download the Safer Seas & Rivers Service (SSRS) app or check our online map for real-time alerts at your favourite surf, swim and paddle spots. Arm yourself with the facts to help keep you and your loved ones safe.
Discover how data can fuel your fight to protect your local beach, river or lake. Our online Data HQ is a powerful tool to further research, empower communities and drive change. Explore the stories, stats and shocking truth behind the sewage scandal.
Fed up of action not being taken to clean up your local beach, river or lake? Our Protecting Wild Waters team helps communities push for bathing water designation - so swim spots get tested, pollution gets exposed, and regulators are held to account. With citizen science and community power, we’re taking matters into our own hands.
Accessible creative protest is the lifeblood of our movement. Not enough attention being given to the sewage scandal gripping your community? Call it out! Take to streets - or the beaches or river-banks – bring some friends, some props and make some noise to let those responsible know that they can’t just sweep this under the rug. More info coming soon...
Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear about our campaigns, news and events. Get action alerts straight to your inbox so you can join the fight against sewage pollution.
By becoming a member or donating to Surfers Against Sewage, you will help us to go further, support more people and keep our fight to #EndSewagePollution going until we win a water system that works for people and planet, not profit.
We’re calling for transformational reform of the UK’s broken water system – to end profit from pollution and create a water industry that protects people and planet, not private interests.
Our campaign is driven by five key principles:
Public and Environmental Health First
Protecting people and nature must be the legal priority – no more excuses.
Real Democratic Control
Water decisions should be made by and for communities, not behind closed doors.
Value for Money
Bills should fund clean water, not corporate bonuses. Every penny must serve the public good.
Independent, Fearless Regulators
Regulators must be empowered and resourced to enforce the law – no more toothless watchdogs.
Full Transparency
We all have the right to know what’s happening in our rivers and seas – and how our money is being spent.
We’re also pushing for urgent national action across devolved nations:
In Wales, we demand a truly independent regulator to stop daily sewage discharges.
In Scotland, we want 100% monitoring and a commitment to end sewage pollution by 2030.
In Northern Ireland, we’re calling for transparency, real-time alerts, and vital investment in clean water infrastructure.
This is about justice, accountability, and the right to clean, thriving blue spaces. Join us – and help flush this corrupt system for good.
- Chris, water userWhat has happened over the past 30 years is a disgrace. We have been paying for a vital service and the money has been given to bosses and shareholders. Now our country is being ruined by sewage pollution. Look what they have done in the name of profit! Our seas and rivers are like veins containing the life blood we and wildlife need. What right have we to poison them?
