Extinction Rebellion protest at River Itchen over 'raw sewage'

Members of Extinction Rebellion and Friends of Itchen Estuary (FIE) attached a "satirical" blue plaque to the railings on Cobden Bridge, which crosses the River Itchen.

Blue plaques are normally fixed to the front of houses that were once occupied by historical figures.

But the Cobden Bridge one condemns the government's "failure" to tighten environmental regulations and ban water companies from discharging untreated sewage into seas and rivers.

READ MORE: Sewage often released into River Itchen, Southampton campaigners warn

FIE spokesperson Gavin Millar said: "Increasingly in times of heavy rain, a combination of surface water runoff and raw sewage is being discharged into the Itchen.

"The river is used by rowers, paddleboarders, sailors and swimmers.

"Raw sewage is a hazard to people and also affects wildlife, the ecology of the river, and plantlife. Fish numbers are depleted and there are fewer birds in and around the river."

Campaigners stage a protest against the discharging of raw sewage into the River Itchen (Image: Chris Yandell, Newsquest)

Corin Holloway, spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion Southampton, added: "We need everyone who cares about our rivers and seas to stand up with us and speak out."

Campaigners handed out copies of an FIE leaflet calling for urgent action to be taken.

It said: "The Itchen Estuary is a precious open space with huge value for recreation, wellbeing and wildlife.

"But it is frequently polluted by Southern Water, who dump raw sewage into the river more than 50 times every year, and for a total of more than 300 hours every year.

"There are no warnings or online real-time information about when raw sewage is being dumped in the river."

FIE is calling for the data to be released every time a discharge takes place so people know when to stay out of the water.

READ MORE: Southern Water fined record £90m for dumping raw sewage into protected waters

Water companies are allowed to pump untreated sewage into rivers, lakes and seas during exceptionally heavy rain to prevent the system being overloaded.

But campaigners are calling for the discharges to be cut by 50 per cent over the next five years and phased out together within ten years.

Campaigners stage a protest against the discharging of raw sewage into the River Itchen (Image: Chris Yandell, Newsquest)

The plaque names Royston Smith, Tory MP for Southampton Itchen, as one of the politicians who voted against the proposed ban on sewage dumping.

Mr Smith said: "To overhaul and replace all the infrastructure, bill payers would be exposed to the costs (estimated to be over £150bn)."

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