Surfers Against Sewage national protest paddle outs are coming to Croyde and we are making it happen...

Grab your surfboards, paddles, rafts, swim caps & placards and join us for Surfers Against Sewage’s National paddle-out on 20th May. It's time to send a message to the profiteering polluters. Our ocean is under threat and we need drastic action now.

We are running the only  Surfers Against Sewage North Devon paddle-out at Croyde Beach this Saturday (2Oth) in support of the national challenges and concerns around sewage pollution and water quality in our rivers and seas. The event is supported by local surf life saving clubs, Parkdean Resorts, Wave Wahines, Surfing England, The Wave Project - North Devon and the North Devon World Surf Reserve.

Meeting Time: 09:30, 09:45 - speeches and safety briefing, 10am - Paddle.

Meeting Location: South side of RNLI Lifeguard hut, Croyde. 

Please use local car parks and meet us on the beach, board, wetsuit or skins and banners in hand.

The surf is forecasted to be 2-4ft so please only paddle or swim out if you feel confident enough to do so. All individuals will be entering the water at their own risk and all children must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times. Not sure about paddling out, join us on the waters edge or in the shallows.

WHY ARE WE PADDLING?

The UK sewage system is at breaking point. It’s under huge strain from a growing population and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events caused by climate change. Built on a Victorian system, our decaying sewage infrastructure is in desperate need of investment.

But rather than spending money where it’s needed, water companies are stuffing their pockets with our money while failing environmental targets and pillaging our waterways. They continue to get away with regularly dumping untreated sewage into our blue spaces for millions of hours every year. This needs to stop now.
South West Water has an environmental performance rating of poor. CEO pay and bonus was at £802,000 and shareholder dividends were 45 million last year. The total number of sewage discharges was 42,484 in 2021 and duration of sewage discharges was 351,785 hours.  Croyde itself sits at the heart of the newly designated world surfing reserve and is brilliantly managed by Parkdean resorts whose environmental team work tirelessly to improve and protect the beach environment. Increasing numbers of water users enjoy our beaches all year round and our water quality and subsequent bathing water status should reflect this.  

North Devon also has two beaches which are deemed unsafe to swim in by the environment agency due to poor water quality. Instow beach and Wildersmouth beach in Ilfracombe are both extremely popular with beach users and it's totally unacceptable that the public cannot enjoy the water and the health benefits that it provides at these locations. We have to do everything in our power to improve these environments, not only for the ecosystems that exist there but for us all to enjoy too.

SAS Demands:

we DEMAND water companies take responsibility and clean up their act. And regulators and Government must hold them to account. They must stop pillaging our waterways and start investing in much needed infrastructure for our future, for the sake of people and the planet.

We demand an END to sewage discharges in our bathing waters and a 90% reduction of all sewage discharges by 2030.

Not in North Devon but want to attend a paddle? Check out the protest Protest Location Map: 

Paddle Out Protest 2023 - Surfers Against Sewage (sas.org.uk)

Sign the Dirty Money Petition: Dirty Money Petition - Surfers Against Sewage (sas.org.uk)

Protest FAQs: Paddle Out Protest 2023 FAQs - Surfers Against Sewage (sas.org.uk)