Protesters took to the water at Saltburn beach to demand an end to sewage discharges into the country’s seas and rivers.
Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) organised the demonstration which was led by paddle-boarders, kayakers, swimmers and paddlers at Saltburn beach.
These protests were happening across the UK today (Saturday, May 20) and other locations included: Tinside Beach East, Plymouth Hoe, and Gyllyngvase beach, Falmouth, South Bay in Scarborough, Portobello Beach in Edinburgh and Penarth Pier Pavilion
The charity is calling for bathing spots to be protected from discharges and a 90 per cent reduction in sewage discharges by 2030.
Read more: Surfers Against Sewage hold nationwide protest against bathing water discharges
It claims that the mismanagement of water companies led to 301,091 sewage discharges in 2022.
Earlier this week, the industry trade body Water UK announced a £10 billion plan to reduce the number of sewage discharges into rivers and seas, while apologising for the pollution and warning that bills would rise to cover the costs.
SAS released survey data earlier this month suggesting 85 per cent of people supported a ban on bonuses for CEOs who failed to hit minimum environmental standards, with trust in water companies at 21 per cent among UK adults.
Edith Reeve, organiser of the Saltburn protest, said: “We have had enough! From millions of dead sea creatures we have seen washed up on our beaches to the 36,483 discharges of raw sewage in one year alone in our region!
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“It’s a game of Russian roulette whether you will contract gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis or something even worse every time you chance going into the sea. It shouldn’t be like this!
“Our sea has been treated as a dumping ground for toxic chemicals, rubbish and raw human sewage for too long.
“It is time that Northumbrian Water put some of their profits into investing in a sewage system that is fit for purpose instead of bonuses to their CEO and wealthy shareholders!”
Another protester was David McCreadie, a marine biologist and retired senior lecturer in underwater technology from Redcar who first wrote to the press about the sewage problems at Redcar beach in 1963.
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Izzy Ross, SAS campaigns manager, said: “The public at large are sick and tired of greed taking precedence over the health of our ocean.
“These mass paddle-out protests across the country are about holding polluters to account.
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“Last year, 12 water companies paid out a combined £1 billion to shareholders whilst relentlessly polluting UK waterways with sewage nearly 400,000 times.
“We will not tolerate their shameless exploitation of our blue spaces any longer.
“Our research shows that trust in water companies is at rock bottom and an overwhelming majority of the UK public call for an end to the excessive bonuses given to water industry fat cats whilst failing to meet even basic environmental standards.
“We refuse to remain silent while water companies ruin our beloved blue spaces.”
SAS is also urging people to sign its petition which has gained over 114,000 signatures at https://www.sas.org.uk/dirty-money-england/.
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