Brighton: The Smelly Jewel Of The South Coast?

Campaigners from Surfers Against Sewage descended on the south coast of England with a message and a bath tub of secondary level treated sewage water.

WHY?

Southern water is proposing to build a £200 million ‘middle of the road’ sewage treatment works so sewage from Brighton’s 250,000 residents will only be treated to secondary level. That’s an effluent that would still allow for 100,000 faecal coliforms/100ml so plenty of opportunity for nasty bugs and viruses to latch on to the unwary surfer, windsurfer or swimmer as it is pumped back into the sea.

What SAS wanted

The local councillors from this region to say, on the record, that they would only support a planning application if sewage was fully treated to tertiary level (35 faecal coliforms/100ml).

Other seaside resorts that do fully treat their sewage include Newquay, Scarborough, Weymouth and Poole. Brighton’s reputation as a hip, alternative, environmentally conscious, tourist friendly town is being damaged as these other resorts are healthier and cleaner.

Result?

Not one councillor dared to take the plunge into the bathtub of secondary level treated sewage water, however Hove City Council have now openly confirmed their support for full sewage treatment. East Sussex Council on the other hand, refused to meet with the campaigners.

Expect more action from the wetsuit/surfboard brigade in the coming months.

If you wish to join them or have any concerns over what’s happening in Brighton please contact Richard Hardy. Email richard@sas.org.uk

Caption

Caption

Caption

To join for £15 per year

To shop