‘My husband went surfing and had to take three days off work’ - Over half of Brits scared to become unwell from UK waters

Less than one in five adults believe they will be able to swim safely in UK waters by 2030 without risking their health, as over half of Britons worry that sewage pollution will lead to illness.

A recent poll of 2,000 people conducted by Surfers Against Sewage revealed that only 21 per cent trusted the government to ensure water suppliers reduce sewage spills, with over half a million discharges into our seas, lakes and rivers in 2024.

An avid swimmer, Kate Jones has become unwell on several occasions after swimming off the coast of Pembrokeshire, with her husband recently sick after a morning surf shortly after sewage had been dumped.

“I’ve been caught a couple of times and am incredibly passionate about this issue. Sometimes on my day off I meet people for a swim and there’s been several occasions where there has been brown scum along the shoreline, pretty much every time it rains.

“I’ve had it twice where I’ve become unwell after swallowing a gobful of water. My husband went out surfing last week when there was a sewage overflow at the local school, and he ended up off work for three days. I was also sick last week with my daughter.”

In Wales, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water was responsible for 118,276 sewage discharges, an average of more than one sewage spill every five minutes.

As a result, she and a group of other volunteers are participating in SAS annual Paddle Out on Saturday 17 May at Broad Haven Beach, which sees thousands of people take to the UK’s beaches to protest against the ongoing sewage crisis.

It’s held at the beginning of the UK’s official bathing season which runs until September, and encourages people to make use of designated protected blue spaces. However, during this period in 2024, there were 8,704 sewage discharges in England during the bathing season, an average of more than 60 a day.

Stuart Davies, an organiser of the Brighton Pier Paddle-Out Protest said: “We are paddling out because we seem to be in the same place each year. We see record levels of sewage pollution in our blue spaces, especially here on the south coast.

“Many a time, I have been personally affected. I can't go sea swimming. I can't go surfing. I also volunteer for the Wave Project which provides surf therapy for young people.

That's been cancelled a few times, and we couldn't go in the water. It makes me extremely angry. We are paddling out in protest of the scandal and to call for total reform of the water industry.”

It was revealed last month that sewage was discharged over half a million times into UK waters in 2024, for around 4.7 million hours.

Instead of achieving a 40 per cent reduction, English water companies failed on their Environment Agency targets to reduce sewage pollution incidents, which increased by 30 per cent.

SAS received 1,853 sickness reports through its service app in 2024, with 331 people having to see a doctor and 79 per cent reporting that medical professionals had attributed their illness to sewage pollution.

Hundreds were diagnosed with gastroenteritis, chest infections and serious bacterial infections, with some having to be hospitalised.

Giles Bristow, CEO at Surfers Against Sewage said: “Another year, another summer of swimming and surfing in sewage while our shameless water companies laugh all the way to the bank. The public has simply had enough and will be paddling out in their thousands to send a clear message to government and the polluters: end this sewage scandal now!

“Our failing water industry has been trumpeting billions in investment to clean up their act, but we know that these fat cat bosses can’t be trusted to keep their promises.

“The proof is in the missed targets, shocking statistics and devastating stories of sickness we continue to see year after year. We’ve had enough of their lies, greed and incompetence and know that this nightmare will not end until the whole water system is radically reformed.

“The thousands paddling out across the UK are letting the water companies, government and Independent Water Commission know, loud and clear, that we will not accept another year of risking our health to swim in the sea.

“People should be free to use the water without fear of getting sick, and that’s why we developed the Safer Seas & Rivers Service, a free app that provides real-time pollution alerts, giving peace of mind for those worried about sewage pollution.”

To join a Paddle Out protest, the largest events are taking place in Brighton, Bournemouth, Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth, as well as Broad Haven Beach in Wales, Dunbar in Scotland and Portrush in Northern Ireland. Further info and locations map are available here.