Islanders have been urged to demand an end to sewage pollution at a ‘Paddle Out Protest’ on an Isle of Wight beach.
As part of a national day of action to put pressure on the government, water companies and regulators, Surfers Against Sewage will be holding a demonstration at Ryde’s Appley Beach on 17th May 2025.
Call for an end the nation’s ‘sewage scandal’
A briefing from the marine conservation group says the protests are part of ‘vital ongoing campaigning’ to end the nation’s ‘sewage scandal’.
It says,
“In England and Wales, the independent (water) commission will be finalising recommendations for the government in May and setting out what they should do next to reform the water industry.
“This gives us the perfect opportunity to show them once again the groundswell of support behind the end sewage pollution campaign.
“We need these recommendations to be bold and ambitious to protect both the public and the planet in a transformational reform.”
Lilley: I have been campaigning on this issue for many years
Liberal Democrat councillor Michael Lilley, who represents Ryde Appley and Elmfield at County Hall, said,
“My ward of Ryde Appley and Elmfield is home to Southern Water’s pumping station for the Ryde area which holds all Ryde’s sewage before it is pumped to Sandown Treatment Plant.
“When there is heavy and torrential rain, surface water pours down Ryde’s hills into the sewage drains and overflows the system and Southern Water then releases sewage into the Solent and onto Ryde and Appley beaches.
“In January 2025, 105 plus sewage releases were made at Appley/Ryde alone. I have been campaigning on this issue for many years and work closely with Surfers Against Sewage.”
Councillor Lilley added that he welcomed the 2025 Paddle Out at Appley Beach to highlight the issue and “demand Southern Water stop pouring sewage into our seas and onto our beaches”.
Gilpin: Family friendly event
Protest organiser Darren Gilpin said the demonstration would be a “family friendly event” calling for water infrastructure to be “run in the public interest”.
He said,
“People on the Isle of Wight immensely value our beautiful coastal waters.
“We want to be able to swim, surf or paddle without having to worry about excessive sewage emissions.”
Moran: Invested more than £9 million in reducing storm overflows
Southern Water’s Pathfinder project manager Laura Moran said,
“We understand concerns about storm overflows and agree that this historic network of pressure release valves – which only operate to protect communities from flooding – are not acceptable moving forwards.
“This is why we’ve invested more than £9 million in reducing storm overflows on the Isle of Wight in the past two years, rolling out innovative nature-based and engineering solutions that have prevented more than 300 spills.
“While we still have a long way to go, the results show the success of alternative solutions as we continue our work to cut the need for storm overflows.”
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
