Sea Swimmers Talking Sewage
FIONA MCGARRY
Reports indicate that 2026 is on track for high volumes of sewage spills, with 3,899 alerts already issued by late March, over double the same period in 2025. This is what sea swimmers from Hastings, St Leonards and Bexhill have to say:
DOUBTS AND FEARS
For many, the joy of sea swimming is now riddled with anxiety: “The sea has given me far more than I ever expected – clarity, strength, joy and a powerful sense of belonging within a vibrant, supportive community,” says Anita R. “But that joy is overshadowed by the relentless sewage discharges from Southern Water.”
Anita K. remembers sitting by the sea, letting the waves crash over her and laughing as the spray cooled her face. “In a split second of carefree joy, a larger wave broke and rushed into my mouth. Instead of simply tasting salt, I felt a flicker of anxiety, wondering what, beyond seawater, I might have swallowed, given the recent sewage spills.”
Fiona B. explains: “Wild swimming is something deeply important to so many of us in Hastings and St Leonards. It connects us to nature in its purest form, the pull of the tides, the changing light across the water, the steady rhythm of the waves. That’s why it’s so distressing to know that companies like Southern Water have been regularly discharging sewage into the sea. The fear that the water may be contaminated turns something joyful into something uncertain.”
Sandra O. says that when her swimming group meets for a dip, the chat is no longer about the weather or sea, but about the flags. “Sadly, we have lost our buzz and excitement. Our daily swims are led by: Is the sea toxic today?!”
DEMOTIVATION
Some swimmers no longer swim regularly or have even ‘given up’: “The wonderful sea swimming community I found here has become my tribe,” says Larissa, “We support each other to confront our fears and reluctance to step into a mid-winter sea, sharing in the exhilaration of doing it anyway. The many recent sewage alerts have meant that we meet less often – for me this has meant only one dip in two weeks.”
Claire S. recalls “I found every time it rained, it wasn’t safe to swim due to the sewage outflows. I was unable to keep to any kind of routine and eventually gave up. I was frightened of getting ill, and I know of people who stopped swimming altogether due to getting ear infections in particular.”
A white swimsuit highlighted the problem for Tracey W. “I’ve noticed that it’s tinged with brown when I get out of the water. It doesn’t happen where I swim in Scotland. I’ve stopped swimming when I visit Hastings, which is such a shame.”
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
Several swimmers highlighted health issues. Beverley Q. explains: “Many of us have been affected on several occasions – becoming unwell after swims or assessing the sea as too dangerous to enter when the smell of sewage is overwhelming.”
Lynda S. explains: “On two occasions recently, after swimming at Groyne 42, I suffered an upset tummy, had to run to the toilet with diarrhoea several times – sewage dump reported!”
Wendy G. has to be particularly careful as an ovarian cancer survivor with a compromised immune system. She says she uses sea swimming as therapy for both physical and mental reasons. “The cold water supports me through pain and emotional difficulties. Knowing that [I can’t access] the sea regularly as pain relief (for fear of ingesting bacteria and other nasties) is extremely detrimental to my wellbeing.”
THE ENVIRONMENT
Many swimmers are concerned about the water companies’ lack of concern for the environment. “The sea means so much to our community,” says Susie B. “It supports our physical wellbeing and plays a vital role in protecting our mental health. Living on the seafront, close to an outlet, makes the issue impossible to ignore. At times, the smell is overwhelming, forcing us to keep windows closed.”
“Walking along the seafront one sunny afternoon, feeling disappointed that sewage spills prevented me from dipping, I stopped to take in the beautiful view, and there was a real nasty sewage smell,” recounts Dawn H-D. “I assumed I was standing above an outlet – I wasn’t. It was just the smell of the beach.”
Lindsey B. uses an incident at her local pool to highlight our normal reaction to contamination: “After a child ‘pooed’ in the pool they temporarily closed it for cleaning. Who in their right mind would jump in for a swim knowing they could come face to face with a poo?,” she says. “This small event really puts into perspective the regular sewage that Southern Water pumps into our beautiful sea, potentially poisoning us and the sea creatures.”
ANGER AND SADNESS
“How much longer can this go on?” asks Julia J. “As a grandmother I don’t ever feel it’s safe to allow my grandchildren to swim in the sea due to the health risks. How sad it is for them to grow up knowing that their local sea is not a fit place for them to swim.”
Helen S. adds: “We’re not put off by rain or bad weather, but definitely by the consequences of sewage dumping. We don’t dare risk going in the sea. We sit at home, wishing for our sea to be clean. Watching Dirty Business incensed me. We need change. Now.”
DEFIANCE
Of course, anger is directed at the water companies: “Cold water sea swimming has a huge positive impact on my anxiety and despite a ‘dump warning ‘ I take my chances to get that euphoria and inner calm,” says Anne D. “Why? Water companies: should I just roll over and let you get away with this for years and years to come?”
Lorna D. adds: “Southern Water executives cream off profit instead of reinvesting in the outdated infrastructure and this is literally making us sick! Local businesses suffer and our beautiful seaside town is angry. The recent bio-beads environmental disaster shows how little Southern Water cares about its actions – but time is running out for them now that their disgraceful behaviour has made national news.”
MESSAGES TO SOUTHERN WATER
Ina S. points out how ongoing pollution incidents suggest inadequate infrastructure, insufficient investment, and a lack of preventative action. “There is both a moral and legal obligation to protect our rivers and seas for future generations. I urge immediate, transparent steps to end sewage discharges and ensure accountability.”
Kirsten D. compares the situation with Denmark. “There, water companies – whether municipally or consumer-owned – must operate on a strict break-even principle,” she says. “Revenue covers maintenance and investment, but no profit is extracted. It’s a model that prioritises stewardship over shareholder returns. If London’s cycling infrastructure can be inspired by Denmark and the Netherlands, why can’t our water system be too?”
Our sea doesn’t need us, we need it
So stop filling it up with piles of Shit!
Extract from a poem by Sue J.
Today, I sat by the sea, letting the waves crash over me and laughing as the spray cooled my face. In a split second of carefree joy, a larger wave broke and rushed into my mouth. Instead of simply tasting salt, I felt a flicker of anxiety, wondering what, beyond seawater, I might have swallowed, given the recent sewage spills.
It’s deeply saddening that moments meant for connection, freedom and simple happiness in nature are now clouded by doubt and fear. No one should have to question the safety of the sea while standing at its edge. Yet, because of repeated sewage discharges and a collective failure to prioritise environmental responsibility, even the most innocent experiences feel compromised.
The ocean should inspire wonder, not worry. – Anita K.
Nature belongs to all of us, and to none of us. We come from it; it sustains us. The sea, in particular, gives life – without it, there would be no life at all. As a local year-round swimmer in St Leonards, the sea is central to my wellbeing, my friendships, my sense of community and even my spirituality. That’s why the decision by Southern Water to discharge sewage into the sea – ultimately in the pursuit of profit – feels not just misguided, but deeply unkind and short-sighted. When sewage is discharged, we cannot swim. So far this year alone, Southern Water has released sewage into the sea 368 times. Our coastline is not a dumping ground; it is a shared living space that sustains both people and wildlife.
Out of curiosity, I looked at how things are done in Denmark. There, water companies – whether municipally or consumer-owned – must operate on a strict break-even principle. Revenue covers maintenance and investment, but no profit is extracted. It’s a model that prioritises stewardship over shareholder returns. If London’s cycling infrastructure can be inspired by Denmark and the Netherlands, why can’t our water system be too? – Kirsten D.
As someone who swims in the sea all year round, I feel deeply frustrated and disheartened each time I learn of another sewage discharge by Southern Water. I regularly check the Safer Seas and Rivers app, and it’s incredibly upsetting to see alerts appear – even during dry weather, when there seems to be no clear justification for a release. There have been occasions when the scale of dumping has made it unsafe to enter the water at all, posing a real risk to public health.
The sea means so much to our community. It supports our physical wellbeing and plays a vital role in protecting our mental health. When sewage pollution prevents us from swimming safely, it takes away something truly special. Living on the seafront, close to an outlet, makes the issue impossible to ignore. At times, the smell is overwhelming, forcing us to keep windows closed. Water companies must prioritise long-term infrastructure improvements and put customers and the environment ahead of profits. – Susie B.
As an all-year-round sea swimmer, when I visit family in Hastings, I always try and join the St Leonard’s Bluetits for a dip. During a two-week visit, in January and February 2025, by day 12 there had been 140 sewage discharges into the sea, totaling nearly 37 hours. Walking along the seafront one sunny afternoon feeling disappointed that sewage spills prevented me from dipping, I stopped to take in the beautiful view and there was a real nasty sewage smell. I assumed I was standing above an outlet, I wasn’t. It was just the smell of the beach.
Swimming all year in the sea has changed my life, specifically in the colder months. Life is short enough and not being able to do something that is joyful and healthy has a detrimental effect on me physically and mentally. – Dawn H-D
I’ve been a cold-water swimmer for the last seven years, all throughout the year. I‘ve noticed a dramatic change in the sea, the heavy rain brings back all the sewage often. This has been a significant change in recent winters.
I’ve also lost beautiful swim buddy connections who no longer want to do all-year-round sea dipping as they have health concerns which mean they cannot risk infection. It’s turned from meeting up to have a dip to
the chat being not about the weather or sea but about the flags. Sadly we have lost our buzz and excitement:
our daily swims are led by ‘Is the sea toxic today?!’ – Sandra O.
On two occasions recently, after swimming at Groyne 42, I suffered upset tummy, had to run to the toilet with diarrhea several times, sewage dump reported! – Lynda S.
Wild swimming is something deeply important to so many of us in Hastings and St Leonards. It connects us to nature in its purest form, the pull of the tides, the changing light across the water, the steady rhythm of the waves. It’s more than just exercise; it’s therapy, community, and a moment of freedom in busy lives. That’s why it’s so distressing to know that companies like Southern Water have been regularly discharging sewage into the sea. The fear that the water may be contaminated turns something joyful into something uncertain. It limits when we can safely swim, harms marine life and erodes trust in those meant to protect our environment. Wild swimming should be about wellbeing and connection, not checking pollution alerts or worrying about what might be in the water beneath us. – Fiona B.
Recently, a child pooed in my local swimming pool, and they had to close the pool. Rightly so, after all, who in their right mind would jump in for a swim knowing they could come face to face with a poo? – let alone the obvious health risks. Horrible. But this small event really put into perspective the regular sewage that Southern Water pumps into our beautiful sea, potentially poisoning us and the sea creatures…which is another point, we catch ‘fresh fish’ but goodness knows what we would find if they were put under a microscope. – Lindsey B.
I’m deeply concerned about the increasing use of our seas by water companies to dump sewage. As regular sea swimmers, many of us have been affected on several occasions by becoming unwell after swims or risk assessing the sea as too dangerous to enter when the smell of sewage is overwhelming.
This is unacceptable from a public health perspective and shows a complete disregard for the safety and maintenance of the wildlife that depends on our seas. – Beverley Q.
It’s like we’ve become immune to the repeated dump warnings on our apps – the same boring excuses of too much rain, poor infrastructure etc. but we haven’t. We just feel no-one cares. No one is accountable. We hear the same crap answers, and nothing changes.
Cold water sea swimming has a huge positive impact on my anxiety and despite a ‘dump warning ‘ I take my chances to get that euphoria and inner calm Why – water companies? Should I just roll over and let you get away with this possibly for years and years to come? Stop with the excuses. – Anne D.
I’m new to St Leonards and moved here knowing no one. The wonderful sea swimming community I have found here has become my tribe. We support each other to confront our fears and sometimes reluctance to step into a mid-winter sea, sharing in the exhilaration of doing it anyway. And as we scream and shout and laugh our way through the shock of the cold, we talk about our everyday hopes and fears, the challenges in our work, our families, our future plans – knowing we will be heard, validated, supported. The many sewage alerts of recent weeks have meant that we meet less often – for me this has meant one dip in two
weeks. Sewage pollution of the sea is literally eroding my community. – Larissa
I was raised in Hastings from the age of two and always swam in the sea. I moved to Scotland eight-and-a-half years ago and still go swimming. I wear a white swimsuit and have noticed that on my trips back to Hastings to visit family, my swimsuit is tinged with brown when I get out of the water. It doesn’t happen where I swim in Scotland. I’ve stopped swimming when I visit Hastings, which is such a shame. Sadly, there was a sewage dump along the coast from where I swim in Scotland: Surfers Against Sewage reported it. Water companies cannot be allowed to get away with this disgusting practice. – Tracey W.
What began as a simple decision to take part in a sea-swimming challenge in St Leonards to raise money for the incredible local cancer charity (The Sara Lee Trust), has become something deeply personal to me. The sea has given me far more than I ever expected – clarity, strength, joy and a powerful sense of belonging within a vibrant, supportive community. But that joy is being overshadowed by the relentless sewage discharges from Southern Water. After heavy rain, anxiety replaces anticipation; swimmers fall ill, and some lifelong sea lovers have walked away. It is heartbreaking to see such a precious, life-giving space being contaminated and the wellbeing it nurtures so carelessly put at risk. – Anita R.
I am an Ovarian cancer survivor with a compromised immune system who uses sea swimming as therapy for both physical and mental reasons. The cold water supports me through pain and emotional difficulties.
Having sewage regularly pumping into our seas is having a very negative impact on my wellbeing as I can’t risk getting in when I see alerts have gone up on the SSRS app for St Leonards and Bexhill.
As my pain levels are currently increasing due to awaiting more surgery, knowing that I don’t have the ability to have the sea regularly as pain relief for me for fear of Ingesting bacteria and other nasties is extremely detrimental to my wellbeing.
Also having Level 3 Marine biology and Oceanography diplomas I know exactly the impact these sewage spills are having on marine life which is so upsetting and completely preventable.
This has got to stop. – Wendy G. (Nutnut)
I write to express my serious concern regarding the continued discharge of sewage into our rivers and coastal waters. The release of untreated or partially treated wastewater into natural environments represents a clear failure of environmental stewardship and corporate responsibility. Our waterways are vital ecosystems that sustain wildlife, protect biodiversity, and provide recreational and wellbeing benefits to local communities. Persistent sewage pollution degrades water quality, damages habitats, and introduces harmful bacteria and contaminants into spaces that should be protected. Of particular concern is the impact on year-round swimmers and open-water users who rely on accurate water quality standards to safeguard their health. Repeated discharges increase the risk of infection and illness while undermining public confidence in the safety of our waters.
As paying customers, we expect wastewater services to operate effectively without compromising public health or the environment. Ongoing pollution incidents suggest inadequate infrastructure, insufficient investment, and a lack of preventative action.
There is both a moral and legal obligation to protect our rivers and seas for future generations. I urge immediate, transparent steps to end sewage discharges and ensure accountability. – Ina S.
There are many all-year-round swimming groups in Bexhill on sea; I am writing on behalf of the Bexhill Mermaids.
It’s a constant worry that the water has sewage or E. coli in it. The water is checked once a month [week – ed] from May to I think September. But the checks are often done in good weather, not when there have been heavy downpours – which makes them ineffective. We swim for a sense of wellbeing, and community, but it is a constant fear that we will pick up a virus from the sea.
We are very disappointed in Southern Water. I think many more people would swim in the sea if they felt it was clean, but they are afraid of sewage spills. My suggestion to Southern Water would be to put up brown flags when sewage is released. Then at least there would be some transparency. Marianne
How much longer can this go on?
Why is there not urgent action being taken to improve the water infrastructure? Is it because profits have to go to shareholders who seem to care little for what is happening?
As a grandmother I do not ever feel safe to allow my grandchildren to swim in the sea due to the health risks of sewage dumping. How sad it is for them to grow up knowing that their local sea is not a fit place for them to swim. – Julia J.
As a lover of sea swimming in all seasons, I am absolutely disgusted at the sewage pollution of our Hastings and St Leonards coastline, every single time it rains, which is often. Our sea life, fauna, community and visitors are regularly subjected to this contamination whilst Southern Water executives cream off profit instead of reinvesting in the outdated infrastructure and this is making us literally sick! Local businesses suffer and our beautiful seaside town is angry.
The recent bio beads environmental disaster shows how little Southern Water cares about its actions, but time is running out for them now their disgraceful behavior has made national news. – Lorna D.
I started sea swimming regularly with an amazing strawberry moon swim with about 60 people on a summer’s night in 2022. It was amazing, and it was so good for me both physically and mentally. My friend and I were making the time as often as possible after work and on weekends to have a swim. However, I found every time it rained, it wasn’t safe to swim due to the sewage outflows. I was unable to keep to any kind of routine and eventually gave up. I was frightened of getting ill and know of people who stopped swimming altogether due to getting ear infections in particular. I’m also concerned for wildlife and the detriment to sea life. Together with the nightmarish light pollution that has sprung up in recent years from the LED streetlights that are never turned off, big companies and councils are destroying the environment, which will ultimately destroy us all. – Claire S.
The sea is our salty escape, our excitement, reset, connection, giggles, tears, community, friendships and a glorious dopamine hit. Especially in winter. We gather on the beach. From all walks of life. Drawn to the sea – it makes me and the rest feel so alive. Love it when the sun is out. Try not to be deterred when it’s cold or rainy. If it means we can get in, and feel better, we do. We use swims to get together, raise awareness and honour events or things that matter to us. Like our pink swim for breast cancer in October.
Until we see sewage warnings. Which seem to be increasing. We’re not put off by rain or bad weather, but definitely by the consequences after. Sewage. We don’t dare or want to risk going in the sea. We sit at home…..wishing for our sea to be clean. Watching Dirty Business incensed me. But also shocked at the amount of rubbish floating around. We need change. Now. – Helen S.
Poem
In St Leonards where the Blue Tits Swim
Waves abound as the tide roles in.
A stony beach and a seaside dream
Until the sea turns brown and screams!
The pipes let go, the rain pours down
then poof – raw sewage’s on the town!
From Galley Hill to Goat Ledge Shore
its a poo poo parade at everyone’s door.
Oh dear, another “storm overflow”
let’s blame the weather, what a bogus show.
The rest, a cocktail of gunk and dirt,
with microplastics, tampons and parasites
Swimming helps your mental health,
but check the app, don’t just pretend
Your wellness matters, it’s not a trend,
& Southern Water is not your friend.
So, if you swim, just pray and sigh,
sewage is rising faster than the tide,
And the voice of locals is not being heard
Profits before people – how absurd!
Our sea doesn’t need us, we need it
So stop filling it up with piles of Shit!
Sue J.
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Being a year round swimmer, often having to check on spillages, its a disgrace that with technology today we continue to kill our natural habitats and prevent nature to thrive, allowing humans to appreciate what a fabulous planet we have.
Further to the article “Sea Swimmers Talking Sewarge”
I remember the disruption caused in the late 1990s when Southern Water constructed the Hastings Bathing Water Improvement Scheme at a cost reported at the time of £55 million. I understand that this scheme diverted all the Victorian sewage outlets and overflows that discharged onto the local beachs into a large mile long storage tunnel. Here it could be held before being treated at the extended sewage treatment works at Pebsham.
What is going wrong, is the scheme not working correctly?
Or is it your paper only interested in bad stories.
The three outfalls onto the beach at Harold Place. Warrior sq and West St Leonards are from local streams and should be free of sewerage.
Modern housing estates have a two pipe drainage system where foul water from WCs sinks baths etc are kept separate from rain water for roofs and drives.
I understand that a few property owner, who when having work done, have connected WC etc to the rain water drainage system. This system should only be taking rain water to local steams and this is what is thus contaminated them with sewage. HBC and SW are I believe trying to track down the culprits.
I would appreciate the comments of SW on how this scheme is working?