January 27th, 2023
Tags: #LetsSusItOut, Environment Eco, News, Worthing
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Protesters highlight water pollution with blue plaques
Local protesters against the dumping of sewage into our seas have installed a satirical blue plaque in Worthing to highlight the shocking state of our waterways.Members of Extinction Rebellion, Worthing Green Party, Worthing Climate Action, Worthing Labour Administration, Worthing Solidarity, Sea Sploshing Society and other local beach users unveiled a blue plaque on Worthing beach in a spoof ceremony as part of a national day of action across the UK.
The plaques highlight the government’s continued failure to tighten environmental regulations and stop profit-grabbing by water companies. The Worthing plaque reads: “The UK Government
voted to block a law that could have stopped Southern Water dumping raw sewage at 80 beaches last year. It makes us sick”.
Nick Peck, spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion Worthing says: “We’ve watched in horror as our rivers and seas have become open sewers since October 2021, when the government voted down a proposal to stop water companies pumping waste directly into our rivers and seas. They justified this by claiming that the proposal was too expensive. These plaques shine a light on the government’s failure to protect our waterways, the natural world, and all of us.”
The government’s failure to properly tackle the issue of sewage pollution has been hugely controversial. Last summer over a hundred beaches were closed to the public after a series of sewage discharges by water companies left the sand and sea contaminated
with human sewage. [1] Meanwhile only 14% of the UK’s rivers achieve “good” ecological
status with pollution from agriculture, human sewage, roads, and single-used plastics creating a dangerous “chemical cocktail” in our waterways. [2] In December the Environment Agency announced it was pushing back targets to clean up England’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters from 2027 to 2063, prompting outcry. [3]
Campaigner and Green Party member Claire Hunt says: “It’s disgusting to think what’s being pumped into our rivers and seas.[4] The government and the water companies aren’t going to clean up unless ordinary people put pressure on them. No one group can do this alone. We need everyone who cares about our rivers and seas to stand up with us and speak out. Today is just the first part of a bigger campaign to protect nature and our waterways. You can visit CREW Climate Emergency Resilience Centre, 8/9 South Street, Worthing, for more information or sign up to https://actionnetwork.org/forms/dirty-water”
Tags: #LetsSusItOut, Environment Eco, News, Worthing
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