Exmouth 'Paddle Out' protests at sewage

"Problems stem from nineties' infrastructure' claim

Scores of protestors have marched along Exmouth seafront, before many took to paddleboards,canoes or inflatables as part of a national 'Paddle Out' organised by campaign group and charity Surfers Against Sewage.

Similar events in Devon took place at Plymouth Hoe and in Croyde, as well as numerous beaches in Cornwall, including at Seaton.

The Exmouth event on Saturday began at the Sideshore community hut. Community liaison lead for the organisation Nicky Nicholls told Radio Exe: "This is a national problem, but we in Exmouth feel that after the major problem in Exmouth last summer [where the beach was closed because of sewage leaks] that we really have to up our action."

Exmouth and Exeter East MP David Reed attended to support the protestors. He said: "There is cross-party consensus now. We need to get this sorted out. I want to get it sorted out. I'm a former royal marine. I love going swimming. The thought there's stuff floating around in the water is unacceptable, so I have been working really hard with South West Water to make sure they put the investment in."

Mr Reed would not be drawn on whether privatisation of the water industry under Mrs Thatcher's Conservative government in 1989 was a mistake, but thinks it would be an error to bring it under state control now.

David Reed MP believes nationalising water can't be a priority (image: Radio Exe)

"To look at the wider picture, it wasn't sorted out in the late eighties, nineties," he said, "and it's been low down on the government's spending list.

So when you look at the need to spend on defence or the NHS, sewage and infrastructure has always been low down. And when I think when you look at bringing it back into public ownership, the constraints we have with an ageing population, with the need to increase defence spending, it would still be well down.

"So it needs to stay private..but there needs to be really strong legal frameworks, so those companies do the right thing for their customers."

More than 1,300 local people and business are involved in legal action against South West Water to address the issue of dumping sewage in the sea, including illegal overflows.

Ms Nicholls said: "It is a slight myth that it's a Victorian system. The Victorian bit is working fine. It is the stuff from the nineties that's perishing. It had a 25-year lifecycle, so yes, we're asking for investment. We don't want to pay more. We already pay an extortionate amount for our water."

Nicky Nicholls is community liaison lead for Exmouth Sideshore (image: Radio Exe)