On Saturday, May 18, thousands of protesters across the UK are taking part in a paddle out coordinated by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) to protest against sewage dumping.

Over 30 protests are set to take place at beaches and rivers, spanning from Cornwall to Edinburgh.

Members of Cresswell Dippers in Northumberland will be among the protesters.

Water companies release excess water and sewage via storm overflows after heavy rain to prevent it backing up into the streets and people's homes, and Cresswell Dippers share concerns of other outdoor swimmers, surfers and paddle boarders over raw sewage finding its way into the sea from these overflows. They will be protesting with the rest on the country on May 18 at 10am on Broadsands Beach in Cresswell.

SAS is calling for an end to sewage discharges into all bathing waters and high-priority nature sites by 2030.

Giles Bristow, CEO of SAS, said: “Once again, the public face a grim choice this summer - risk swallowing sh*t or forgo a dip in the water.

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

"A general election is imminent, and the public are out on the beachfronts and riverbanks making it clear that the issue of sewage pollution is at the top of the agenda.”

In June, regulator Ofwat - who challenge and scrutinise water companies’ deliverance of safe water for people and the environment - will deliver recommendations on water companies’ five year investment plans, who have proposed for £11bn to be invested in reducing sewage discharges.

Bristow added: “We’re calling for plans that are ambitious enough to end sewage pollution in high-priority nature sites and the waters we surf, swim and paddle in by 2030, putting people and nature before profit. We won’t tolerate this broken system any longer.”

2023 saw a 51% increase, from 2022, in recorded discharges across England, Scotland and Wales. 584,001 releases took place for a total of 12,966,322 hours. However, discharge figures for England in 2023 are an underestimate, SAS revealed that 1,930 storm overflows monitors are operating at less than 90% capacity after analysing Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) data.

Of the 11 monitored water companies United Utilities was the worst offender, reporting 97,537 discharges in 2023, followed by Yorkshire Water and Severn Trent Water with 77,761 and 60,253 discharges respectively.

Tynemouth is also among the protest locations.

Sally McGee, Tynemouth protest organiser, said: “Every surfer across the UK knows that they run the risk of getting sick if they surf. You can smell and taste the difference in the water. It’s really upsetting and feels like we are going backwards in time.”

“As a surfer, I believe we have a beautiful relationship with the ocean - we see it in all its glory, and we see it suffer. When I surf and the water is brown from pollution as untreated sewage leaves the Tyne, I can only imagine how marine life endures it. We can choose if we surf, but it’s their everyday habitat.”