A long-cherished Christmas tradition in the UK entails seaside swimming in festive attire. Folks in the UK head to popular coastal spots to go swimming every year. However, this year it’s deemed unsafe. This is because popular coastal spots across the UK have been clogged with sewage posing potential health hazards for swimmers.
UK Folks’ Christmas Sea Dips Are Considered Unsafe This Year Due To Sewage Spills
According to a report published by Republic World, the UK’s annual Christmas tradition of sea dips is deemed unsafe this year. With coastal spots inundated with sewage looks like following traditions will do more harm than good. Reports indicate that established locations like Eastbourne in Sussex to St Ives in Cornwall have recorded a surge in sewage contamination over the past year. A report by The Guardian also stated that people falling sick due to illegal discharges are unable to claim compensation due to an amendment by Tory MPs.
Furthermore, as per statistics compiled by Liberal Democrats around 4,574 hours of sewage spills at beachfront are recorded at festive swim locales. Out of 32 event locations analysed for Christmas sea dips, around 1000 instances of sewage spills for this year alone have been recorded. This raises serious concerns about water quality and public health.
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Water Companies Reported Over 384,000 Sewage Discharges In 2022
Authorities identified sewage spills on at least 3,00, 000 occasions last year. Out of these, 2000 cases of people falling sick were reported due to sewage pollution which is more than two times the figures in 2022. Hartlepool Boxing Day Dip, Saundersfoot New Year’s Day Swim and Lake 32 Boxing Day Swim are other occasions that witnessed over hundreds of hours of sewage spills. Water companies across Wales and England in 2022, reported over 384,000 discharges of raw sewage. Rivers Trust even described this as “extremely bad news” for both human and environmental health.
However, lawsuits on certain water firms claim that the true numbers of sewage spills are much higher. A vast number of waste flushed down the toilet ends up on the coasts of the UK.
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So, it’s indeed a cause of concern for UK folks to stick to traditions and go on their annual Christmas sea dips this year.
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva
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