Brits less likely to swim in the sea due to sewage discharges, poll reveals

A new poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed over three in four (77%)  Brits who swim in lakes, rivers or the sea, have said sewage discharges have made them less likely to go swimming. 

The poll found half of all UK adults go swimming in the country’s rivers, lakes or the sea. Shockingly, the majority of those adults are now less likely to go swimming in public areas as a result of water companies discharging sewage into waterways. 

Swimmers over the age of 55 are far more likely to be put off by the sewage discharges - nearly 9 in 10 (87%) said the water firms’ actions had put them off swimming in lakes, rivers or coastlines. 

Swimmers in the South East and West Midlands (83%) are also most likely to say sewage discharges have made them less likely to go swimming in lakes, rivers and coastlines. 

Last year, raw sewage was pumped into rivers and seas for 1.75 million hours, an average 825 times per day, according to official Environment Agency data. 

Key bathing water status locations, which attract swimmers from around the country, have been flooded with sewage. In the South West, Lyme Regis’ Church Cliff Beach bathing water suffered from 81 sewage discharges last year, lasting 1493 hours

Meanwhile, United Utilities dumped sewage into England’s largest lake, Windermere at the Millerground Landing bathing site for 1,305 hours from 67 separate spills.

The Government has also failed to grant bathing water status to locations across the country. The Liberal Democrats revealed in a parliamentary question that the Government turned down 9 in 10 applications for bathing water status since January 2022.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent action to be taken ahead of the holiday season to protect swimming locations from sewage discharges. 

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: 

“This is a national scandal. These polluting firms are shutting off beaches and lakes as a result of their foul sewage discharges. 

“Meanwhile their executives rake in multi-million-pound bonuses. Frankly the whole thing stinks. 

“The public no longer trusts the water they swim in to be clean. That is a damning verdict on this Government’s environmental record. 

“Why on earth isn’t the Conservative Government getting tougher on these water firms? 

“There needs to be urgent action taken to save our beaches and lakes before the summer season to protect swimmers and businesses.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Methodology: Savanta interviewed 2,275 UK adults aged 18+ online between 31st March and 3rd April 2023. Data were weighted to be representative of the UK by age, sex, region, and social grade.

Questions asked: 

Q1. How often do you swim in rivers, lakes or the sea in the UK? 

Q2. It has been reported that water companies are allowed to discharge untreated sewage into British rivers, lakes, and coastlines when there is heavy rainfall to prevent treatment plants being overwhelmed. Which of the following best describes your view?

Parliamentary Question on Bathing Water status 

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-03-13/163776/