Campaigners staged a beach protest against sewage dumping this afternoon.
Around 150 protesters gathered at Sunny Sands in Folkestone from 2pm today to take part in ‘Surfers Against Sewage Paddle Out’.
It was in an effort to highlight the fact that beaches at Dymchurch and Littlestone on Romney Marsh remain rated as ‘poor’ by the Environment Agency (EA).
Littlestone has received the lowest possible classification for the third year in a row, while Dymchurch has kept the tag for the second consecutive year.
Both beaches were awarded the Brown Flag Award last year for having some of the worst water quality in England.
They have been given the rating due to their potentially unsafe levels of bacteria in the water.
The protest coincides with new campaign group Cleaner Seas for Mermaid Beach and Beyond applying for Designated Bathing Status for Mermaid Beach.
The group wants to see more beaches from Dover to Dungeness tested by the EA.
Currently, Sunny Sands is the only beach in Folkestone with designated bathing water status, meaning the EA is required to carry out regular water quality testing between May and October.
Campaigners say this leaves many other popular beaches in the district untested throughout the year and “prone to storm sewage spills as well as illegal spills”.
They argue that regular monitoring would ensure clearer public information, including warning signs and updates through water quality apps, allowing residents and tourists to make informed decisions before entering the sea.
The group says sewage discharges from storm overflows have repeatedly affected sea swimming across Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh since January.
Campaigners claim heavy rainfall and infrastructure failures have led to an “unprecedented” number of spills between January and April, with some incidents allegedly occurring during periods of little or no rain.
Michele Sheldon set up the group along with fellow swimmers.
She was one of seven Minister of Sewers at last year’s Folkestone Triennial at the Ministry of Sewers art installation at Customs House on the Harbour Arm collecting accounts of people’s experiences of becoming ill after swimming.
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She said: “It was shocking to hear people’s accounts of being ill after being in the sea in the district.
“Some people were ill for months. Personally, two of my children have become ill after swimming at the Mermaid beach and the Warren.
“Sewers were created to improve public health but now they’re making us and our environment sick.
“It’s not good enough when water companies make huge profits and local businesses which rely on tourism suffer the consequences of lack of investment.”
