SAS Seeks Support
Clean water campaigners Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) are urging the UK’s 11.6 million surfers, waveriders and water users to be vigilant and report any pollution incidents. As the bathing season starts today more and more people will return to the beach, SAS are concerned about discharges of raw sewage from the 11,000 Combined Sewage and Stormwater overflow drains (CSO) around the UK.
Pollution can come in many forms; litter, shipping waste, chemical spills, sewage discharges and more. SAS campaigns against all of these forms of pollution entering the marine environment and more. Now with SAS’s pollution incident report guide there’s a very easy way for all water users to become the environmental guardians of their beaches and waves.
Today SAS have uploaded a pollution incident report guide on
www.sas.org.uk/pr/2009/pollution-incident-report-1.php When a member of the public spots any source of pollution anywhere around the UK they can use this pollution incident report guide to protect the environment. SAS recommend contacting the Environment Agency (EA), the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) or the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). All 3 agencies can be contacted on 0800 80 70 60.
The EA, SEPA and NIEA must investigate all reported pollution incidents, trying to trace the polluter and if possible to prosecute. SAS are also asking the public to report incidents to the SAS pollution hotline on 01872 555950. SAS will chase the EA, SEPA or NIEA to ensure they are doing their utmost to protect the environment. SAS will also use the data collected to build up case files on reoccurring pollution problem, especially relevant to CSOs. With this information SAS can lobby for improvements to sewerage infrastructure, enhanced protective legislation and advanced industrial practices.
Andy Cummins SAS Campaign Manager says: “The 11.6 million surfers, waveriders and water users in the UK are potentially great guardians for the UK’s waves and beaches. We are all literally immersing ourselves in the environment we love so much, so we are the first affected by pollution incidents. SAS has just made it easier to report pollution incidents, and so, just made it harder for polluters to get away with impacting on our special environment.”