The protest took place on Gyllyngvase Beach against UK waterways

The demonstration in Falmouth is one of more than 30 planned nationwide

Thousands of protesters will take to Britain’s coasts and rivers today to protest the state of the nation’s waterways.

The protests were coordinated by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), which calls for an end to sewage discharges affecting Britain’s rivers and seas, as sewage overflows continue to have a devastating impact on ecological and human health.

More than 30 protests will later take place on local beaches and rivers, including Falmouth’s Gyllyngvase beach.

Giles Bristow, CEO of the charity Cornish Surfers Against Sewage, said:

“This year offers an opportunity to turn our collective anger into action and end the sewer scandal, with panicked politicians in listening mode, desperate to ride the waves of popular sentiment.

“The general election is imminent and the public are taking to the seafront and riverside, making it clear that the issue of sewage pollution is high on the agenda. Before the election, all parties need to show the people real and quantifiable commitments to clean up sewage pollution or suffer the consequences.”

In 2023, there were 584,001 spills in England, Scotland and Wales – a 51% increase on the previous year – with sewage released into waterways for a total of 12,966,322 hours.

Water companies have proposed £11 billion of investment plans to reduce sewage discharges for this period, with customer bills rising in tandem.

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