By Isle of Wight Observer
A ‘Paddle Out Protest’, which formed part of a national day of action by Surfers Against Sewage, took place at Appley Beach, Ryde, on Saturday.
Islanders were out in force as they kept up the pressure on water companies and the government to stop sewage being pumped into seas around the country.
Isle of Wight representative, Chani Courtney, said: “Our coastal waters were given investment which has now ended. DEFRA and Southern Water are now refocused to mainland sites to reduce spills in all but two small locations on the Island.
“This is not good enough. We need continued physical investment, and application of learning, so our heavily-designated Island waters and shared marine space of the Solent get continued focus. We deserve poo-lution free seas.”
Thousands of people took part in the nationwide event across 40 locations, with Chani adding: “We’re sending a clear message to our local elected representatives. Listen to your local constituents who have taken to the water today and give your backing to fixing our broken water system.”
Last year sewage was discharged almost 600,000 times across the UK, an average of more than once every minute.
