Almost half of Brits would avoid seaside swims, as MP for Eastbourne slams “outrageous and depressing state of affairs”

Josh Babarinde, the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne, has today remarked that findings of a recent poll reveal an “outrageous and depressing state of affairs” when it comes to the state of our waterways.

A new poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, undertaken by Savanta, has found that nearly half of Brits (44%) would never swim in the sea during the summer.

The polling also discovered that 19% of respondents said that even if the Government hit its target of halving sewage spills by 2030, they would still be less likely to swim in the sea.

As the MP for a coastal community with 94 beautiful beaches, Josh has campaigned consistently to protect and support Eastbourne’s waterways. From joining local swimmers and campaigners for a “mass dip” to raise awareness of sewage dumping, to pressing Environment Secretary Steve Reed on the issue directly in Parliament, Josh has placed this issue at the heart of his work in Eastbourne. Sadly, under the last Government, Eastbourne’s water quality dropped from ‘excellent’ in 2015 to a low of ‘satisfactory, undermining our coastline.’ 

And it’s against this backdrop of decline and rising customer bills that water company bosses are raking in eyewatering pay rises. It’s one of the many reasons why Josh called for Southern Water’s CEO to be denied his outrageous pay rise in the House of Commons last month, and why he’s calling today for the Government to establish a new regulator that will hold water companies to account.

In response to these survey findings, Josh Babarinde, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne said:

“Our precious beaches must be protected from Southern Water’s reckless raw sewage dumping.

Instead, years of mismanagement and neglect by our water companies and successive governments have turned them into hazard zones.

This is an outrageous and depressing state of affairs. It’s dangerous for Eastbourne’s swimmers, disastrous for Eastbourne’s businesses and devastating for our town's beautiful natural environment.

Enough is enough.

The Government must get a grip on this and properly hold water companies to account via a regulator that has the power and authority to impose strict fines.

Anything less is a dereliction of duty to the people of Eastbourne, and the UK’s coastal communities as a whole.”