Campaigners with poo cut-outs call for change

Campaigners have gathered on a beach to protest about water quality.

Surfers Against Sewage said that in 2025 Exmouth's sea was affected by sewage pollution for 111 days and to reflect that campaigners brought 111 giant poo shaped cut-outs to the protest on Sunday.

Nicky Nicholls, community lead at Sideshore hub in Exmouth, Devon, said: "All around the country people are calling on their MPs to focus on the Clean Water Bill that is going through Parliament."

South West Water said there was "more to do but the direction is clear - fewer spills, shorter duration and investment where it matters most". It said it respected its customers. The government said the bill would deliver cleaner waters.

Nicholls said: "We pay our bills, we expect to be able to use the water.

"This is an issue so crucial to us and to our town, to our economy, for tourism.

"It's just a really important time for people to understand what's happening and to lobby our MPs."

Exmouth resident Simon McLoughlin said: "I'm old enough to remember when rivers used to be full of life and now they're dead.

"It's just despicable and I think it's outrageous."

Mary Culhane, a member of the Sewage Sisters group in Exmouth, said: "I swim in the water all year round.

"I find it really important for my mental health, for my sense of community.

"This bill will have lasting importance for generations."

In May, King Charles outlined the government's law-making plans for the coming year in a speech to the House of Lords.

It included the Clean Water Bill - which at the time he said would merge the functions of several existing regulators, including Ofwat, in a bid to end the "fragmented oversight" over the privatised water sector.

South West Water said: "The South West saw 62% more rain than the rest of England in 2025.

"Despite this, we still cut storm overflow spills by 17% and spill duration by 25%.

"We also prevented more than 8,300 spills, due to operational improvement, with a focus on beaches during bathing season - a clear sign our £760m investment plan is already producing strong results."

On Saturday, The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: "Our strengthened Water Bill will deliver cleaner waters, give new powers to mayors to hold water companies [to] account and will create a powerful new regulator so that companies can deliver for customers and the environment."

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