A reminder that Saturday (20th May) sees Isle of Wight residents gather in Ryde to protest against the levels of sewage discharge into our seas and rivers.
Organised by Chani from Surfers Against Sewage (read her background), the Paddle Protest takes place by Appley Tower, Ryde between 12pm to 1pm.
All are welcome to attend, whether you intend to paddle out, or just stand on the beach to watch.
You’re encouraged to take along placards or other fun props, surf boards, paddle boards or rafts.
“Clean seas should be a right not a privilege”
Chani says,
“Clean seas should be a right not a privilege. With the Isle of Wight featuring in 12 out of 83 worst beaches in the UK for sewage discharge in 2022 it is time we put action in to fix the issue.
“Sewage in our seas affects all of us on the Island, at least indirectly. Who wants to look out on our stunning coastline and think, mmm I wonder how much sewage has gone in today? No! It should be, ‘wow that’s amazing let’s take our friends and family to the beach and enjoy the sea’. It is a vital space for so many residents and groups who bathe or recreationally use the waters and beaches all year round.
“Anyone is welcome and Ryde is a fantastically accessible beach. Let’s show Southern Water we are the community that care and are ready to take action together.”
You can also show your intended attendance via the FB event page
Southern Water
In response to the news about the protest, Nick Mills, Head of Southern Water’s Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force, said,
“We are already working to reduce the number of storm overflows, investing significant money to build bigger infrastructure and redesign a legacy Victorian sewer system, as well as using innovative technology and natural solutions. Since privatisation, the quality of our bathing waters has risen from only 28% meeting public health standards, to 94% now rated as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.
“We are investing the money where it’s needed, we have not paid external dividends to shareholders since 2017 and our Chief Executive this week confirmed he would not be taking a bonus in 2023.
“We will be announcing more detail on our own longer-term plan to further improve every single storm overflow requiring action in our region soon, and will be asking customers and stakeholders for their feedback, to ensure we get the balance right between significant investment and keeping bills affordable.”
He went on to say,
“Although Appley Beach is rated as ‘good’ by the Environment Agency, we want to work with partners to get it up to ‘Excellent’.
“We have identified improvements at Appley by increasing our pumping operation and also improving storage, which will help reduce storm overflow releases.”
“This will add to the work we’re already doing on the Isle of Wight which is one of our major ‘pathfinder’ areas. Where we are using innovative engineering and nature-based solutions to slow the flow of surface water into our combined sewer network to reduce storm overflows.”
