Wild swimming? Think again

''While this is a long-term and on-going issue, recent developments have shown that we have no problem that Brexit cannot make worse. The supply of ferric sulphate is a growing cause for concern.
Ferric sulphate is used to remove phosphorous at wastewater treatment plants. Too much phosphorus starves rivers of oxygen, killing animals and plants. There is no shortage of ferric sulphate but the supply chain crisis means that it is stuck in the factories and cannot get to the water treatment works. As we have explained in previous articles, a shortage of both UK and EU-based drivers has had profound effects on our ability simply to move things around the country.
The government’s response has been entirely predictable. All the way through this crisis, it has steadfastly refused to address the driver shortage and this new problem has not softened its attitude. Last week, it merely waived the regulations. The Environment Agency (part of Defra) will now allow water companies to dump untreated sewage into the rivers for the rest of this year, as long as they get written permission first.
No doubt Severn Trent’s shareholders will be delighted.
Thank the Lords
Not for the first time since the referendum in 2016, we have cause to be grateful for the moderating influence of the House of Lords. Two days ago, an amendment to the Environment Bill was passed in the Upper House which aims to ‘place a new duty on water companies and the government to take all reasonable steps to ensure untreated sewage is not discharged from storm overflows and requires that they progressively reduce the harm caused by these discharges.’
Let us hope that the amendment is not thrown out when the bill comes back to the Commons because otherwise, the metaphors can just write themselves.
We will literally be up shit creek without a paddle.''

Accidents can happen anywhere, due to extreme circumstances like a flood, etc. But this is absolutely DELIBERATE, and officially condoned by this Government. And it is disgusting.

Nothing will destroy our fishing and shellfish industry better than this- and do expect the French, Dutch, Germans, etc to sue the UK for contaminating their own waters and ... fish ad shellfish- there are huge areas of mussel farms on the French side of the Channel.

Whitewavemark2

Scones

The tendency of many on the Left to see those on the other side of the political debate as inherently bad people — even sometimes as something a bit less than human. It is a dispiriting and destructive approach.

I remembered this quote posted by MOnica yesterday when I read Julie Burchill's article on 'woke' in the Mail on Sunday. The dehumanisation and level of hatred poured out in her article, directed at pretty everyone, showed how angry we are all being made by certain people with a grudge/issues.

This is not a left or a right problem. It's a universal problem.

I think the quote is unfortunate because it is too much of a generalisation.

I am a voter who would always vote for a political party whose policies supported a comprehensive welfare state, a high degree of social mobility, a commitment to private ownership within a mixed economy and supportive of a social partnership between capital and Labour.

I class myself as a left wing voter.

My critique of our current government will always be because of the mirror I hold up reflecting my political beliefs.

However, some politicians behaviour and rhetoric i find so abhorrent, and not living up to what we as voters are entitled to expect from our political representatives, that yes I criticise them as individuals. Of course I do. It is a ridiculous suggestion that criticism of those behaving badly should cease -

that is not democracy.

There is a difference though between criticism of those behaving badly, failing or letting us down and dehumanisation and hatred based on a stereotype. One supports democracy and the other creates division based on generalisations whether true or not.

The personal criticism you're talking about is the former and I know I do that too and hope I always will. What Julie Burchill did was the latter. You are absolutely right that the quote was a generalisation. I was trying to provide some balance.

Sorry lemon, I know you want to excuse this Government whatever they do, however destructive- but your post is nonsense.

The current situation is directly linked to Brexit and directly linked to Private Companies shareholders.

Whitewavemark2

Fireworks at Southend on Sea have been cancelled because of sewerage on the beach.

No they weren’t. They were cancelled in remembrance of David Amess

Petera

Scones

The tendency of many on the Left to see those on the other side of the political debate as inherently bad people — even sometimes as something a bit less than human. It is a dispiriting and destructive approach.

I remembered this quote posted by MOnica yesterday when I read Julie Burchill's article on 'woke' in the Mail on Sunday. The dehumanisation and level of hatred poured out in her article, directed at pretty everyone, showed how angry we are all being made by certain people with a grudge/issues.

This is not a left or a right problem. It's a universal problem.

Julie Burchill is on the right. Here is a quote from her last month "any female who has an iota of self-respect would be an idiot to vote for anyone other than the Conservative Party".

It may, or may not be a left/right problem, but Scones' quote starts "The tendency of many on the Left..." So maybe find a better example before congratulating her?

Petera You seem to have missed every point I made I'm afraid.

The quote was not my quote. It was taken from from MOnica's link to an article earlier in this thread.

I wasn't congratulating anyone nor commenting on Julie Burchill's political leaning. I was drawing attention to the battery of hatred towards almost everyone in Julie Burchill's article and how people with an axe to grind - whatever their political persuasion - whip up anger and bad feeling. My point being that this is a universal problem regardless of political orientation.

Since I have been reading about this subject recently, France and Germany ( amongst other countries) have problems with sewerage in the rivers, including the Seine.So don’t have a dip there either!

The amendment in Parliament ( that was turned down) was turned down for a good reason at the moment.
For years ( including the time we spent in the EU) sewage was allowed to be discharged into rivers so many times a year.
The amendment was about making rivers cleaner post Brexit,
And although a good thing to do, just not the right time.
So, to sum up, it has nothing to do with leaving the EU ( dirty rivers) it was about trying to make them better now that we have left the EU.
At some point in the next few years there will have to be massive amounts spent on new sewers.

I am disgusted with the sheer lack of regard to the public and nature, that the Tories en-masse seem to display. How could they allow this to happen? They’re supposed to working for the citizens! I am beyond incandescently furious.

Well I must say I am very happy to live where I can swim in many lakes and rivers- and where regs are VERY tight - and same in nearby France.

M0nica

DD wild swims in a local lake, so should be free of sewage.

And what feeds those lakes?

Fireworks at Southend on Sea have been cancelled because of sewerage on the beach.

Haven't paddled or swam in any Lake,river,Loch,stream or seaside for years. If it's not human sewage, it's chemical discharged from industry,agriculture, animals that's polluting waters. Wild swimming, no thank you.

I am pining my hopes on a rejection by the HoL.

Dianehillbilly1957

So much for ' Cop 26'!!!! This country is going backwards!!

I don’t actually agree with protests during a pandemic but I do hope the world are made aware of what the government are doing.

Of course it is not legal in the EU, just as it was not legal in the UK when it was part of EU!

At what stage will France and other EU countries begin to sue as their own waters, shellfish and fish will be contaminated by our c***!

Saw that over the weekend, southern water companies discharged at 60 places into the sea…! Write to your MP - I have already done so.

Until we joined the EEC we were literally swimming in shit on the North Wales coast, then we were forced to clean up our act.
This regression is appalling.

So much for ' Cop 26'!!!! This country is going backwards!!

Thirty years ago my son had chemical poisoning from swimming in a river. It was caused by weed killer chemicals being sprayed on weeds and nettles along the banks that washed down into the river after heavy rain. He had vomiting, rash, temperature for 4 or 5 days and was quite ill.

Many, many Conservative voters in our mainly Conservative areas are writing to their MP's. Alan Mak and Gillian Keegan just don't bother to reply or come out with the usual claptrap. Our infrastructure is not equipped to cope with the massive new build estates being pushed on us and Southern Water lie when asked if they can accommodate them.
It would be very easy to if we could vote on each area of a Party's policy in elections but we can't. I can't think of many of the electorate in our area who would vote for this. I'd like to see Party politics dispensed with but I'm not sure about how you would replace it!

When I was a child we always swam in the river, but I wouldn't do it now. One of my GSs told me he and his friends were in and out during the heatwave so I sent him the latest about sewage dumping in the Thames.

Here in Scotland SEPA are not allowing this waiver to regulations which allows untreated sewage to be dumped into rivers. Our water supply has also not been privatised.

lemongrove

I was reading a few days ago that many rivers in EU countries are polluted....you wouldn’t want a dip in the Seine!
It’s a problem that needs addressing and sewers updating.
The Environment Agency ( yes, including when we were in the EU) allows for so many raw human sewage disposals in rivers per year ( think that applies to all EU countries as well.)
So wild swimming in rivers has always been a risky business, as well at rat urine.Can’t understand why anyone does it.

I doubt it is legal in every country in the EU, though it probably is in some.

In Denmark, all waste water has to been cleaned before any of it is led into existing water-ways or the sea. Most cleaned water is re-used.

Government control also has measures to control the use of fertilizers near waterways.

Admittedly not all of these measures have proved successful (yet) but great efforts are being made to prevent contamination of water and of soil.

The Dutch are fussy too with regards to what may make its way into their waterways, and the French water police become very narky indeed, if you spill diesel fuel from your motor boat in their waters. Germany has miles and miles of canals and rivers, which are kept reasonably clean.

Obviously it takes time and effort to improve standards

Josianne

My eldest son frequently canoes in rivers. The way to avoid Weil's disease is apparently to drink loads of coca cola.
I agree, poor wildlife.

Yes - that's what the surfers do after a stint in the sea. We were on a French canal holiday a few years ago and after getting into an argument with a low bridge, one of our party fell overboard. He drank Coke when he was fished out.

My friend got badly stung by a jelly fish last month, so started swimming at a local waterfall until the month is over. She said its freezing, she only wears a swimming costume, as the water is coming down from the hills, but if I was her after reading this thread, I'd be staying at the waterfall rather than be going back into the sea.