Surfers Against Sewage protest on Isle of Wight as water firm reacts

It was among more than 30 gatherings taking place, from Cornwall to Edinburgh, one of which was due to be attended by Olympic athlete, Dame Kelly Holmes.

Island campaigners claim there were nearly 40,000 hours of sewage and water mix outflow pumping, over more than 1,600 days, in 2023, on the Isle of Wight. 

SAS said the longest pumping session, into a protected chalk stream at Calbourne, lasted 1,673 hours - among 2,513 hours over the year.

Emma Cox, Freshwater Parish Council, left, with Georgie Crawshaw (Image: Paul Blackley/IWCP)

Across two sites off Sandown, the mix was pumped out for around 4,000 hours. There were 2,380 hours of outflow pumping at Norton and 1,695 hours at Brighstone, said SAS.

The Fairlee 2 outfalls clocked up 2,228 hours and Appley recorded 1,976 hours. At Woodvale, pumping was over 1,380 hours, and at Wootton Creek 5 it was over 1,647 hours. 

Southern Water's director for environment and innovation, Nick Mills, said: "We understand the concerns of Surfers Against Sewage and those members of the public who are protesting across the UK, this weekend.

"Just like our customers, we care deeply about the health of our rivers and seas, so we’re investing significant money and resources, using innovative technology, natural solutions and infrastructure enhancements, to improve it."

Protestors at Gurnard, on Saturday, May 18 (Image: Paul Blackley/IWCP)

SAS said there were 5,816 hours of emergency spills here, which can be released without screens or treatment. 

"We deserve clean seas," said Chani Courtney, volunteer regional representative for the group.

It called for a wider roll-out of Southern Water's Pathfinder project, and more action from the Environment Agency, DEFRA and the Isle of Wight Council to end pollution.

SAS said: "Last year there was over 273 per cent more rainfall than the long-term average. These exceptional circumstances will only increase with climate change.

"We are the custodians of our waters and need to demand action to ensure our marine ecosystems and our health are not detrimentally affected by sewage pollution."

• Read more: Cowes is bottom of sewage spill pile as Nish Kumar fronts spoof film

Today's protest followed a statement from Friends of the Earth, earlier this week, in which it said more than 440,000 hours of sewage was released along England’s coastline last year - including for over 5,000 hours at Cowes.

The data was released as comedian, Nish Kumar, fronted a spoof news report about the opening of a new tourist attraction, called Sh*t Beach.

Southern Water's Nick Mills said: “Reducing storm overflows is a key priority for us, and we are working hard to cut their use across our entire coastline.

"Over the last 30 years, the quality of our bathing waters has risen from only 28 per cent meeting public health standards, to 88 per cent now rated as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. 

"We are spending money where it’s needed - £3bn between 2020 and 2025. We also have a clear plan of how we will be reducing storm overflows across our region, through our £1.5bn Clean Rivers and Seas Plan.”