Campaigners taking to River Severn in water quality protest
Protesters will be taking to the River Severn in Shrewsbury as they join hundreds across the UK in campaigning for improved water quality.
The campaigners are taking part in a protest which is being co-ordinated by Surfers Against Sewage at more than 30 locations across England, Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland – calling for an end to sewage pollution.
In Shrewsbury the group will be paddling out into the Severn from the Frankwell slipway at 10.30am tomorrow.
It comes as three sites in the county were designated as 'bathing water' locations earlier this week – Shrewsbury, Ironbridge and Ludlow – meaning they are now monitored by the Environment Agency which will provide date on the quality and safety of the water, stepping in to take action if it is harful.
Chloé Walker-Panse, campaigner for the Shropshire Bathing Waters group: “On Saturday we'll be celebrating the newly designated bathing water site at Frankwell but also protesting to show all those accountable that we want solutions, not pollution.
"We were delighted to receive the positive news on Monday that all three Shropshire sites we have applied for have been awarded bathing water status.
"Bathing designation means that all sites will undergo regular monitoring by the Environment Agency through the bathing season from May 15 to September 30.
"This will give swimmers and other river users the confidence that the water is safe and help protect our precious environment."
Flagship protests are also taking place at West Pier in Brighton and at Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth, with Olympian and keen paddle-boarder Dame Kelly Holmes set to join protesters on the south coast.
Giles Bristow, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, said: "This year offers an opportunity to turn our collective anger into action and end the sewage scandal, with panicked politicians in listening mode, desperate to ride the waves of popular sentiment.
"A general election is imminent, and the public are out on the beach fronts and riverbanks making it clear that the issue of sewage pollution is at the top of the agenda.
"Ahead of the election, all parties need to show people genuine and quantifiable commitments to eliminate sewage pollution, or suffer the consequences.”
The region's water firm Severn Trent announced today it will spend £450 million by late 2024 to early 2025 after a £1 billion equity raise from investors in October.
It said the money is going to a range of storm overflow solutions across 900 locations in the Midlands.
But Mr Bristow said campaigners needed to keep the pressure on to ensure the action is effective.
He said: “Like those paddling-out at Shrewsbury, thousands are protesting on the water this weekend to let politicians, regulators and water companies know that the public aren’t going to let them wriggle out of demands for clean seas and rivers.
"We’re calling for plans that are ambitious enough to end sewage pollution in high-priority nature sites, and the waters we surf, swim and paddle in, by 2030, putting people and nature before profit. We won’t tolerate this broken system any longer.”
Double Gold medal-winning Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes, who will be paddling out with protesters in Brighton, said: “I love nothing more than getting out into the open water on my paddle-board – it does wonders for my mental health, and there's such a sense of community amongst those who use our wild waterways for sport and recreation.
“But this incredibly special pastime has been tainted for all of us by the persistent risk of getting sick from pollution. The poor state of our rivers and seas is shocking and infuriating.
"Whole generations are being deprived of the right to safely enjoy the benefits that blue spaces offer. Our waterways are for us and should be here to enjoy as they are so important for our collective health and wellbeing. Events costing thousands are getting cancelled. To see our rivers and seas being treated so appallingly by those responsible for looking after them is nothing short of a national scandal."
“I’m paddling out with Surfers Against Sewage and thousands of water-lovers across the country because I’m passionate about our waterways, I’m angry about what’s being done to them, and I want the polluters and those in power to hear our demands to end sewage pollution now.”
