Sick Of Sewage

The state of UK’s bathing water makes us sick

We’re being failed by water companies. Worse still, the Government is letting them get away with it.

In 2019, water firms discharged raw sewage into England’s rivers 200,000 times and our Safer Seas Service recorded over 1,700 discharges into coastal bathing waters during the bathing season alone. And when we say raw, we mean raw. Whatever gets put down the toilet – from tissues to sanitary products and, well… you can imagine – is ending up in rivers and the ocean.

This is bad news not only for our health but also for marine life. More people than ever before are taking to the water, but poor water quality is putting us in danger. Swim with raw sewage, and you could be joined by a host of bacteria and viruses, which lead to gastroenteritis, ear, nose and throat infections, skin infections, weakened immune systems and even hepatitis.

The Problem

• Antiquated sewerage systems regularly dump raw sewage into rivers and the ocean after heavy rainfall.
• Regulators abandoning the water quality testing programme while the risk of transmission of COVID-19 from raw sewage remains unknown.
• Water companies spending profits on fat dividends for their shareholders, rather than investing in their shoddy sewage systems.
• The Government quietly washing its hands of water quality, letting companies get away with creative and incomplete reporting.

The Solution

• Demanding a radical new approach and an end to all raw sewage discharges by 2030.
• An enhanced testing regime that gives a true picture of the UKs water quality all year round and tests for emerging threats including new viruses like COVID-19.
• World-leading water quality legislation that exceeds current EU standards, sets legally binding targets to end untreated sewage discharge by 2030 in ALL inland and coastal waters.
• Nature-based solutions to sewage pollution, including restoring natural habitats to reduce pressure on water systems and prevent sewer overflows.
• Urgent investment in sewage infrastructure to end the use of emergency sewage overflows

What you can do

We hope you’re as furious as we are about the state of our bathing waters. As we reach the peak of the summer, we want to enjoy clean rivers and a thriving ocean, without the danger of pollution or sickness. We bet you do too.

Donate now to help us to protect your health, our ocean, rivers and wildlife.

"There is a complete lack of accountability of water companies and their failure to invest in a broken system. And governments and regulators are failing to keep us safe – the very reason they exist. We have to put an end to it."

But wait – hasn’t SAS already improved water quality in the UK?

Believe us, we’d love it if we didn’t need to campaign for better water quality any more – especially as we’re also fighting to end plastic pollution, carbon emissions and to promote ocean recovery. But the issue of water quality remains just as important now as when we started campaigning 30 years ago.

Back in 1990, just 27% of our designated bathing waters were at an acceptable standard. After decades of campaigning, 98.5% are now classified as ‘excellent, good or sufficient’. But, recent research shows that people still get just as sick from dirty water now as they did back in the 90s.

Let’s put an end to it. Donate now to protect the ocean and each other.

To stay safe in the meantime, download our FREE Safer Seas Service app which will alert you when raw sewage has been pumped into the water.