rain=polluted sea
On Friday 13th June , for the first time in weeks, heavy rain fell on Thanet. And once again it overwhelmed Southern Water’s waste water system and sewage was discharged into the sea.
The following day visitors to the local beaches, from West Bay in Westgate to Western Undercliff in Ramsgate, were greeted by signs placed by Thanet District Council (TDC) warning against entering the water. The sea was contaminated and unsafe to swim in.
Of course this is not unusual. In 2024 Southern Water discharged sewage into waterways 29,355 times. 4832 of the spills were into ‘designated bathing waters’ like those off Thanet’s beaches! These numbers are staggering but, although Southern Water continues to promise investment and improvements, there is still no sign of any real plan for change.
Meanwhile the discharges have not only serious Implications for public health but also for the well-being of the area’s all-important tourist economy. After all who wants a trip to the seaside when you can’t go in the sea.
Local businesses suffer
Green councillors on Broadstairs and St Peters Town council have been approached by concerned local businesses who are asking for greater transparency from Southern Water. They want improved communication and warning systems of beach closures. Green councillor Steve Roberts is currently also looking at how the contacts between the businesses and Thanet town councils can be improved and Broadstairs Green mayor, Mike Garner, has called for the water companies to be brought back into public ownership.
Pollution and continual water company scandals are fuelling public anger. A recent poll showed that 83% of Britons in favour of renationalising the water industry. Surfers against Sewage (SAS), the environmental charity supported by local Greens, is coordinating a summer long series of protests in various locations demanding reform of the broken water industry.
paddle out
In Thanet the first event took place on Saturday 15th May, apparently the official opening day of the bathing season, with a “Paddle Out” in Broadstairs.
The protesters marched through the town and on to the beach at Viking Bay accompanied by Ramsgate’s Samba Ya Wantsum community band. After a speech from mayor Mike Garner and a quick photo op many of them, undeterred by the choppy conditions, took to their paddle boards in the bay.
As part of the campaign Surfers Against Sewage are encouraging member, supporters and frustrated bathers to contact their MPs to vent their feelings and disgust at the state of our seas. The campaign webpage for the public to email their MP can be found here