Surfers Against Sewage To Launch Free Real Time Sewage Alert Service At 55 Beaches UK Wide

95% Of Beach Users Call For Sewage Warnings.

Surfers Against Sewage To Launch Free Real Time Sewage Alert Service At 55 Beaches UK Wide.

Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) recently asked over 200 beach users all around the UK if they wanted to know when sewage is in the sea. A resounding 95% said YES. The good news is, from the start of the bathing season, (15th May), SAS’s revolutionary Sewage Alert Service will inform beach users in real time when raw sewage is discharged into the sea via Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). Providing beach users with these warnings constitutes a dramatic improvement in the provision of public information on sewage spills at some of the country’s best-loved beaches.

SAS regional reps across the UK attended CSO affected beaches, asking 234 beach users:

Q1: When untreated sewage is discharged at this beach do you believe you should be told? 95% of people want to be told. Beach users responses included; “Definitely, I wouldn’t visit otherwise”, “well yeah, you’d get told if it was in the street” and also “Of course, children swim in the sea”. This level of response clearly gives SAS the mandate to pass on this vital information.

Q2: Do you know if there is ever untreated sewage discharged at this beach? Only 30% knew that their beach could suffer from sewage pollution. Until now even experts in sewerage systems could only guestimate when water quality could be impacted by sewage and could pose a potential danger to health.

Q3: Are you surprised to learn that this beach has at least 1 CSO that discharges untreated sewage into the sea after periods of heavy rain? 60% of people asked had no idea sewage could be discharged at the beaches they were on. This lack of knowledge amongst beach users demonstrates why improvements in public information are needed.

SAS reps asked beaches users at the following beache: Redcar (North East), Tynemouth Longsands (North East), King Edwards (North East), Scarborough North and South Bay (North East), Porthtowan (Cornwall), Widemouth (Cornwall), Shoreham (Brighton), Sandown (IoW), Shanklin (IoW), Newgale (West Wales), Rest Bay (Swansea, Wales), Machrihanish (West Scotland).

SAS’s service gives the public power to make informed decision on how and when to use the water and help them avoid the threat of sewage pollution. SAS’s online map will automatically update whenever there is a CSO sewage spill and SMS text messages will be sent for free to anyone who has signed up for this service. Sign up at www.sas.org.uk or by texting SAS (beach name) to 64446 (messages are charged at your normal network rate, then alerts are received for free whenever they occur).

Beaches offering SAS’s Sewage Alert Service should be proud to provide beach users with increased confidence in their water quality. The absence of any sewage alerts means sewage hasn’t discharged recently, so no news is definitely good news! Unfortunately, beaches with CSOs but without the sewage alert service still offer beach users a lottery when it comes to water quality. There are approximate 22,000 CSOs around the UK.

SAS are working closely with Southern Water, Welsh Water, Wessex Water and South West Water. SAS commend these water companies for voluntarily informing SAS when their CSOs discharge sewage onto 55 beaches this year. Yorkshire Water has already committed to the 2012 bathing season and all water companies are welcome to join the programme. By 2015 SAS are aiming to offer real time sewage alerts for all bathing waters throughout the UK.

From May the 15th SAS’s real time sewage alert service will be live at the following beaches:
• Broadhaven Central (Wales)
• Newgale (Wales)
• Manorbier (Wales)
• Sandown (IoW)
• Ventnor (IoW)
• Shanklin (IoW)
• Hayling Island Beachlands (South coast)
• Bognor Regis East (South Coast)
• Littlehampton Coastguards (South coast)
• Botnay Bay (South East)
• Joss Bay (South East)
• Westbrook Bay (South East)
• Clevedon (Bristol)
• Weston Super Mare
• Burnham Jetty (nr Weston Super Mare)
• Dunster North West (Somerset North coast)
• Blue Anchor West (Somerset North coast)
• Minehead
• Chirstchurch Mudeford Sandbanks (Poole)
• Bournemouth Boscombe Pier
• Bournemouth Hengistbury West
• Bournemouth Pier
• Poole Shore Road Beach
• Weymouth Central
• Poole Harbour Sandbanks
• Swanage Central (South coast)
• Bournemouth Fishermans Walk
• Branksome Chine (nr Bouremouth)

South West Water’s beaches will join SAS’s real time sewage alert service in mid June and they include:
• Bude (Cornwall)
• Crantock (Cornwall)
• Porthleven (Cornwall)
• Godrevy (Cornwall)
• Porthminster (Cornwall)
• Porthtowan (Cornwall)
• Porthmeor (Cornwall)
• Gyllyngvase (Cornwall)
• Polzeath (Cornwall)
• Bantham (Devon)
• Challaborough (Devon)
• Croyde Bay (Devon)
• Westward Ho! (Devon)
• Tunnels Beaches (Devon)
• Bigbury-on-Sea North (Devon)
• Woolacombe Village (Devon)
• Breakwater Beach (Torbay)
• Meadfoot (Torbay)
• Oddicombe (Torbay)
• Broadsands (Torbay)
• Paignton Paignton Sands (Torbay)
• Paignton Preston Sands (Torbay)
• Salcombe South Sands (South Hams)
• Blackpool Sands (Devon)
• Dawlish Warren (Teignbridge)

Campaign Director Andy Cummins says: “Information is power, and SAS are giving power to the people. The power to make informed decision on how and when to use the water, armed with real time information on raw sewage discharges. Use our sewage alert service and you’ll have a better beach experience!”

- ENDS –

For further information please contact Andy Cummins, Dom Ferris or Hugo Tagholm on tel: 01872 555950 or mobile: 07711 767548. You can also reach the team at andy@sas.org.uk / dom@sas.org.uk / hugo@sas.org.uk

Notes to Editor:

SAS are the sole funder for this project. SAS don’t accept any financial support from any water companies or government agencies.

SAS reps asked beaches users at the following beache: Redcar (North East), Tynemouth Longsands (North East), King Edwards (North East), Scarborough North and South Bay (North East), Porthtowan (Cornwall), Widemouth (Cornwall), Shoreham (Brighton), Sandown (IoW), Shanklin (IoW), Newgale (West Wales), Rest Bay (Swansea, Wales), Machrihanish (West Scotland).

The health risks associated with bathing in sewage polluted waters include:
Acute diarrhoea
Paralysis/Meningitis, fever
Mild or influenzal typhodial illness
Respiratory disease
Enteritis/Gastro-enteritis
Rashes
Typhoid fever
Hepatitis

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