PEOPLE will be dressing up in poo emoji costumes tomorrow to protest against illegal sewage dumping in the River Itchen.

Campaigners say they "dream of a river we can swim in", so some will be protesting dressed in swimwear.

The 'Kicking up a Stink' event is being organised by Southampton National Park City.

Residents, especially those living nearby, are becoming angry at the dumping of sewage in the Estuary by Southern Water, and foul smells coming from the works.

READ MORE: Foul sewage often released into River Itchen, campaigners warn

The company discharges sewage into the river during storms and times of increased rainfall.

Protestors will gather at Riverside Park, opposite the Portswood sewage works, at 2pm on Saturday.

Residents will gather with placards, dressed in poo emojis and swimwear, to hear speeches and listen to a storyteller celebrating the river.

The demo comes ahead of the River Itchen Scrutiny Panel meeting on November 17, which Southern Water will attend at the Civic Centre.

Toby Willison, Director of Quality and Environment at Southern Water, said: "We understand the concerns of those protesting in Southampton.

"We are investing £2bn between 2020 and 2025 to improve our performance, with most investment going into protecting our environment.

"In Southampton, we are investing nearly £13m to help us store storm water next to our Woolston Wastewater Treatment site. This builds on a £100m improvement project at Woolston, completed in 2020, and a £5.5m upgrade to our nearby Portswood Waste Water Treatment site. These are all part of our plans to improve water quality in this area.

"Protecting the environment is a key priority for us and we are leading the water industry in developing solutions to reduce our reliance on permitted storm overflows. These are the combined sewage system’s pressure valve at times of increased rainfall, to avoid flooding people’s homes and communities – but we agree that these are not an acceptable measure moving forwards.

"We are keen to listen and want to engage with local community and campaign groups. We’re attending a meeting of the River Itchen Inquiry on November 17 to work with local and regional stakeholders."

In the event of adverse weather conditions, the event will be postponed to the next day if it is deemed to be unsafe to be on the water.

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