Almost 200 UK beaches Offering SAS’s Sewage Alert Service 2012

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Rogue Mag Surf - Almost 200 UK beaches Offering SAS’s Sewage Alert Service 2012

The Sewage Alert Service is turning the tide on the management of raw sewage discharges and real time information provided to the public.

Surfers Against Sewage’s (SAS) has secured an unrivalled and unprecedented level real-time water quality information from the UK’s secretive water industry. In only it’s 3rd year, SAS’s Sewage Alert Service will provide beach users with free real time information on raw sewage discharges available at almost 200 UK beaches from 15th May, the start of the bathing season. The Sewage Alert Service provides beach users with free real time SMS messages and web updates after raw sewage discharges from Combined Sewage Overflows (CSOs). After years of focused campaigning on the impacts of CSOs, SAS have persuaded water companies to provide real time sewage spill data. In 2011, just 50 beaches were included in the Sewage Alert Service, generating an astonishing 80,000 free sewage alert messages warning beach users when their favourite beach was polluted. According to a Defra survey, SAS’s real time sewage alerts helped change the behaviour of 94% of the beach users receiving real time warnings.

SAS has consistently campaigned for more transparency about the frequency and impact raw sewage discharges on UK beaches and bathing waters. The Sewage Alert Service is not only a vital public health service, protecting surfers, swimmers and beach users from sewage pollution and associated health threats, but will help map out problem CSOs in need of more investment. This vital real time service informs subscribers of impacts on water quality as they happen in contrast to other water quality information which is often a year old.

For many years, SAS encountered fierce opposition from water companies when requesting this information, but with tenacious campaigning we have successfully persuaded the majority of water companies, regulators and politicians to support and promote this pioneering initiative.

In 2010 SAS used the Blue Flag scheme as a driver for these improvements exposing shortcomings in the programme and calling for 35 Blue Flags to be removed from beaches around the UK. SAS has since worked with Keep Britain Tidy to ensure their Blue Flag beaches are capable of warning beach users when there is a raw sewage spill from a CSO.

SAS piloted the Sewage Alert Service with just 2 beaches in 2010, which grew swiftly to cover over 50 locations in 2011. In 2012 we are very proud to announce that figure has again soared to now almost 200 beaches. That’s over a third of the UK’s bathing waters. Sign up for your free real time alerts and visit our CSO map at www.sas.org.uk/map

To date we have been alone in providing this information to beach users via text messages however we are encouraged to see water companies now replicating our service and providing their own SMS monitoring alerts. We believe all bathing waters should be covered in this way.

SAS Campaign Director, Andy Cummins says: “It’s vital that beach users know when raw sewage is in the sea and our Sewage Alert Service has proven to successfully influence beach users’ behaviour. SAS continue to expose the impacts of CSOs and water users are now able to access information to help them avoid exposing themselves to raw sewage polluted waters.”

SAS campaigners can be available for comment on Porthtowan beach in Cornwall on May 15th. SAS would like to thank Rip Curl Planet, Firetext and Fruitcake designs for supporting this ground-breaking water quality initiative.

Rogue Mag Surf - Almost 200 UK beaches Offering SAS’s Sewage Alert Service 2012

The beaches included in SAS’s Sewage Alert Service listed with the associated water companies:

South West Water – 41
Northumbrian Water – 15
Welsh Water – 24
Wessex Water – 31
Anglian Water – 48
Yorkshire Water – Estimated 2, possible more (TBC)
Southern Water – Estimated 11, possible more (TBC)
SEWAGE ALERT SERVICE TOTAL: 172

South West Water’s beaches throughout Cornwall and Devon:

1. Westward Ho!
2. Woolacombe (Village)
3. Porthminster
4. Paigton (Preston)
5. Paignton (Paignton)
6. Salcombe South
7. Croyde
8. Bantham
9. Porthleven
10. Godrevey
11. Bude (Summerlease)
12. Crantock
13. Babbacombe
14. Bude (Crooklets)
15. Budleigh Salterton
16. Dawlish (Coryton Cove)
17. Dawlish (Town)
18. Exmouth
19. Fistral Newquay
20. Goodrington
21. Hollicombe
22. Mawgan Porth
23. Par
24. Perran Sands
25. Perranport (Village End)
26. Porth Newquay
27. Salcombe North
28. Seaton (Cornwall)
29. Sennen Beach
30. Teignmouth (Holcombe)
31. Teignmouth (Town)
32. Torre Abbey
33. Trevaunance Cove
34. Trevone Bay
35. Watergate
36. Wembury
37. Meadfoot
38. Challaborough
39. Breakwater (Shoalstone)
40. Porthtowan
41. Gyllyngvase

Northumbrian Water’s beaches:

1. Bamburgh Castle
2. Beadnall
3. Druridge Bay North
4. Druridge Bay South
5. Newbiggin North
6. Newbiggin South
7. Cullercoats
8. Tynemouth Longsands North
9. Tynemouth Longsands South
10. Tynemouth King Edwards Bay
11. Redcar Coatham
12. Redcar Lifeboat Station
13. Redcar Sands – Granville Terrace
14. Redcar Stray
15. Saltburn

Welsh Water’s beaches:

1. Broadhaven Central
2. Newgale
3. Manorbier
4. Swansea Bay
5. Braclet Bay
6. Limeslade
7. Langland West
8. Caswell Central
9. Rhosilli
10. Barafundle
11. Freshwater East
12. Lydstep
13. Penally
14. Tenby South
15. Castle Beach Tenby
16. Tenby North
17. Coppet Hall
18. Saundersfoot
19. Wisemans Bridge
20. Treaddur Bay
21. Rhosneigr
22. Aberfraw
23. St Davids Benllech
24. Benllech

Wessex Water’s Beaches:

1. Eypemouth Beach
2. Poole Branksome Chine Beach
3. Poole Rockley Sands Beach
4. Poole Shore Road Beach
5. Seatown Beach
6. Swanage Central Beach
7. Weymouth Castle Cove Beach
8. Weymouth Lodmoor Beach
9. Weymouth Sandsfoot Castle Beach
10. Portland Harbour South
11. Weymouth Marina Radipole
12. Charmouth West Beach
13. Christchurch Avon Beach
14. Christchurch Friars Cliff Beach
15. Poole Rockley Sands Beach
16. Ringstead Beach
17. Swanage Central Beach
18. Blue Anchor West Beach
19. Clevedon Beach
20. Dunster North West Beach
21. Minehead Terminus Beach
22. Porlock Weir Beach
23. WsM Main Beach
24. WsM Uphill Slipway Beach
25. Burnham Jetty Beach
26. Bowleaze Cove Stream
27. Chesil Cove at Chiswell
28. Poole Harbour at Shore Road
29. Bournemouth Boscombe Pier Beach
30. Bournemouth Fishermans Walk Beach
31. Bournemouth Hengistbury West Beach
32. Bournemouth Pier Beach
33. Charmouth West Beach

Anglian Water beaches:

1. Cleethorpes
2. Humberston Fitties
3. Mablethorpes Town
4. Sutton on Sea
5. Moggs Eye
6. Anderby Creek
7. Chapel St Leonards
8. Ingoldmells
9. Skegness
10. Heacham
11. Hunstanton Main
12. Hunstanton beach
13. Wells
14. Sheringham
15. East Runton
16. Cromer
17. Mundesley
18. Sea Palling
19. Hemsby
20. Caistor Point
21. Gt Yarmouth North
22. Gt Yarmouth Pier
23. Gt Yarmouth South
24. Gorleston Beach
25. Lowestoft North
26. Lowestoft South
27. Southwold The Pier
28. Southwold The Deans
29. Felixtowe North
30. Felixstowe South
31. Dovercourt
32. Walton
33. Frinton
34. Holland
35. Clacton
36. Clacton Groyne 41
37. Clacton Martello Tower
38. Jaywick
39. Brightlingsea
40. West Mersea
41. Shoebury East
42. Shoeburyness
43. Southend Thorpe Bay
44. Southend Jubilee Beach
45. Southend Three Shells
46. Southend Westcliff Bay
47. Southend Chalkwell Beach
48. Southend Leigh Bell Wharf

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