Dirty Business

Warning: Age Discretion is advised for this article – if you are a student accessing this please speak to a teacher or parent first. 

As part of Plastic Free Schools, lots of amazing pupils write letters to government and industry, challenging their use of single-use plastic. But sometimes, we have to make a bit more noise to get people’s attention… 

Surfers Against Sewage focus on two key things – Plastic pollution and Sewage Pollution. We don’t often talk about the second one as part of Plastic Free Schools, but something BIG and very important is happening.  

Channel 4 has released a new docu-drama called Dirty Business. This factual, three-part series digs into the practices of our privatised water system and how it’s contributing to water pollution.  

What is water pollution?

Water—including rivers, streams, and the sea—is polluted by sewage (yep, literally what you flush down the toilet), runoff from farms, contaminants from roads, urban developments (the places where we live), and landfill (where our rubbish often ends up).  

One of the main sources of sewage pollution is through Combined Sewage Overflows. This is where water companies are legally allowed to discharge untreated waste water out of big pipes, and into our wild waters, when it’s been raining a lot. However, we’ve found they are being used on an alarmingly routine basis, and not only when it’s rained. This means is poo, toilet paper, sanitary products and other nasty things end up in water where we swim, surf, bathe, and play.  

The UK’s water system is out of date and can’t cope with an increasing population, urbanisation, and climate change. But water companies are choosing to ‘spill’ sewage into our wild waters, rather than updating their systems. 

Why does this matter?

Polluted water threatens our health, the welfare of wildlife, and the future of our eco systems. People are getting sick from swimming in dirty water – we’ve had reports of sore throats, upset stomachs and even really serious conditions such as gastroenteritis, hepatitis and E. coli. Sophie Hellyer lost 20% of her lung capacity, Robin Santer has an incurable ear condition, and Suzi Finlayson required heart surgery – although the exact cause hasn’t been officially proved, all these illnesses happened after being in dirty seawater.  

Put very simply, the current system doesn’t work and the people who are supposed to ‘tell off’ companies for putting sewage in our rivers, lakes, and seas, don’t do their jobs. 

The water companies have a debt of £69.2 billion. This means the sewage system doesn’t have enough money to run properly. Important upgrades and maintenance have been delayed or abandoned altogether, allowing pollution to be poured into the water, without consequences.  

The regulators—groups of people who are supposed to hold water companies accountable for bad and criminal practices, including bodies such as Ofwat and the Environment Agency (EA)—don’t hold polluters accountable.  

As a result, Water Companies are choosing to prioritise profits rather than fixing the pipes that leak sewage into our waters. 

How can this change? 

The demands from Surfers Against Sewage: 

1. Public health must come first – Making money from sewage pollution must end. 
2. The Government must end the current privatised water industry.
3. The Government must take back control of water companies, and change how they work, to make sure they operate for people and the environment, rather than money. No option, including public ownership, should be off the table. 

Does this mean it’s too dangerous to go swimming?

As human beings we are drawn to blue spaces. Getting in the water, or simply being close to it, is incredibly beneficial to our wellbeing. 

But it’s important to be aware. You can use our Safer Seas and River Service app to see whether specific locations have experienced any recent pollution problems; stay out of the water if it’s marked with a red X.  

You can also use your eyes and nose – if something doesn’t look or smell right, stick to staying out of the water that day and use the app to report your concerns.  

Watch Dirty Business on Channel 4

To understand why these demands are so urgent, we have to look at the real human cost of sewage pollution. 

Dirty Business follows the devastating story of  Heather Preen, an eight-year-old girl who contracted E coli on a Devon beach and passed away two weeks later. 

Please consider the hard-hitting nature of this factual drama. This may be suitable for older secondary school children, but parent and/or teacher discretion is essential before showing. Trigger warnings: Death of a child, Grief and Suicide, Graphic descriptions of illness, environmental destruction, anger and frustration.