Tywyn beach clean-up to become regular event
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Cambrian News
24-07-2025
- Cambrian News
Tywyn beach clean-up to become regular event
The clean-up coincided with the Surfers Against Sewage 'People Versus Plastic' National Day of Action, calling on the government to act decisively to tackle plastic pollution at its source and to position the UK as a global leader in the fight against single-use plastics.
Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Telegraph
Mapped: The summer holiday beaches flooded with sewage
One of Britain's best beaches is among dozens blighted by sewage spills as school summer holidays begin. Swimmers are being urged to think carefully before entering the water at Gorleston-on-Sea in Great Yarmouth after heavy rain over the weekend set off storm overflows. The beach, named the 23rd best in Europe by TripAdvisor in 2025, is among 139 coastal locations around the country where sewage has been released over the past two days. Others include popular seaside resorts in Cornwall, Sussex and the North East. Labour has sought to prove it still maintains a grip on water companies after a scathing independent report by Sir Jon Cunliffe, a senior civil servant. Sir Jon said water bills were set to rise by 30 per cent in the next five years and compared the water crisis to the 'Great Stink' of 1888, in which untreated human waste and industrial effluent produced putrid smells and rampant disease. 'I have more than once thought of the Great Stink when leading the Independent Water Commission on water over the last nine months,' Sir Jon said in a speech in London, adding: 'In recent years, some companies have manifestly acted in their private interest but against the public interest and that must be prevented in future.' Responding to the review, the Environment Secretary announced the Government would scrap Ofwat, the water regulation authority, as part of the 'biggest overhaul of water regulation in a generation'. But Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), a marine conservation charity, dismissed the move as 'toothless tinkering' and demanded the Government commit to tangible reform. It said: 'Voters are tired of swimming in sewage and drowning in ever-rising bills.'
BBC News
21-07-2025
- BBC News
Devon and Cornwall campaigners' mixed response to water overhaul
Environmental campaigners and industry stakeholders have given mixed responses to the government's announcement that water regulator Ofwat will be scrapped and Secretary Steve Reed said the overhaul, which follows an independent review, would "prevent the abuses of the past" and bring together fragmented oversight into a more accountable Pearson from water cleanliness advocates Friends of the Dart cautiously welcomed the move, calling the proposed ombudsman "a powerful tool for change."Campaign group, Cornwall-based Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), condemned the report as insufficient and cosmetic, claiming it was "putting lipstick on a pig". New water ombudsman will tackle leaks and overchargingFive key takeaways from the landmark water sector reviewWill the water industry proposals make any difference?Water bills will 'never again' jump as high, claims minister The Water Commission review, led by former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe, was set up in response to growing public concern about sewage spills and rising Pearson said: "We often hear people complaining that South West Water are effectively marking their own homework at the moment."She believes sustained investment and government-backed enforcement and needed for significant improvements to river health."What we need to see is not just identifying the problems, but consistent action towards resolving them," she said. "We need the right thing to be done, and we need it to be done methodically and with a long-term view." 'Taken for fools' Giles Bristow, chief executive of SAS, said the review "utterly fails to prioritise public benefit over private profit". "Only one path forward remains: a full, systemic transformation that ends the ruthless pursuit of profit and puts the public good at the heart of our water services," he the group welcomed the call for a national strategy, Mr Bristow dismissed the regulator overhaul as said: "We won't be taken for fools. Abolishing Ofwat and replacing it with a shinier regulator won't stop sewage dumping or profiteering if the finance and ownership structures stay the same." South West Water said it welcomed the report "and its focus on shaping a stronger water sector for the future"."The proposals outlined today reflect the importance of long-term strategic planning, local accountability, and better environmental and public health outcomes," it said."We are particularly supportive of efforts to update regulation, strengthen asset health, and introduce clearer national direction through a long-term water strategy." Analysis from BBC South West environment correspondent Kirk England "From sea swimmers to clean water campaigners, many will be hoping that Sir Jon Cunliffe's review will lead to change, particularly on tackling sewage spills."About a third of England's designated bathing waters are here in the South West."In 2024, although the overall number of spills by South West Water dropped slightly, to 56,000, the duration of those spills rose to 544,000 hours, up from 531,000 in 2023."South West Water has welcomed the publication of the Independent Water Commission's final report and has already said it is investing to tackle sewage discharges."But there are fears the proposed measures don't go far enough and will not lead to what so many people have told me they want to see - a significant and sustained reduction in sewage discharges into rivers and the sea."
