Christmas Day and New Year swims ruined by sewage dumps lasting thousands of hours 

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

• Traditional festive season swims from Sussex, Devon to the Lakes found to be in sewage infested water

• Liberal Democrats demand a ban on sewage being discharged into bathing status water

New analysis by the Liberal Democrats has found thousands of Brits will be swimming in lakes and beaches during the Christmas season which have had sewage dumped in. 

Across the country community swims take place on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years’ day. Last year, outdoor swimmers in Oxfordshire were forced to cancel their Boxing Day river dip after Thames Water company announced a sewage discharge on Christmas Day. 

Shocking new findings reveal a Boxing Day swim on a National Trust area in Windermere Lake, had 1,459 hours of sewage discharged being discharged into it, with one spill lasting over three days (82 hours)

Festive revellers will be swimming at Eastbourne beach on Boxing Day this year, the same location which suffered from 250 hours of sewage discharges by Southern Water, with one continuous dump taking 65 hours. 

Porthcawl in Wales, which has hosted a Christmas Day swim since the 1960s which people in Santa themed fancy dress attend, had sewage discharged into it for a staggering 660 hours last year alone.  

Swimmers in Devon will take to Paignton beach in fancy dress on New Year's Day for a community swimming event, yet South West Water dumped sewage there 16 times in 2021 with more sewage reported there over the past 12 months. 

Recent analysis by the Liberal Democrats found sewage was dumped on Blue Flag beaches 1,700 times, lasting 15,000 hours. The party is calling for an end to water companies discharging sewage into rivers, lakes and beaches, as well as a Sewage Tax on water company profits to pay for clean up projects. 

Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said: 

“This is a real Christmas party pooper. Most people are dreaming of a white Christmas, not a brown one.

“It’s disgusting enough that our summer swims are spoiled by sewage, but we cannot forget that the water companies, aided by this Conservative Government, have stolen our Christmas dips too.

“The public are fed up with the Government burying their heads in the sand on the sewage crisis. Conservative MPs shamefully voted against a ban on sewage discharges and now swimmers and wildlife are left to pay the price. All whilst water company CEOs pay themselves multi-million pound bonuses. The whole thing stinks.

“This has to be the last Christmas where families are left to swim in sewage.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Analysis of Environment Agency data for 2021 sewage discharges.