Exeter Calls on SWW to Stop Sewage Discharges and Put Clean Rivers before Shareholder Profits

Susan Davy, CEO of South West Water

Do you want to end sewage pollution in the River Exe and sea?

Sign Exeter Friends of the Earth's petition to South West Water and call for the protection of our rivers and seas.

In signing, you'll be joining hundreds of others who have already signed our physical petition (see below)!

We will print off all electronic responses and attach them to a "loo roll" petition to be delivered to SWW headquarters in Exeter on Monday July 18th (see the Facebook event or scroll to the bottom for details)

Follow us on IG or Facebook to see the latest updates on our sewage campaign.
Exeter Friends of the Earth with @terrence_the_turd at SAS protest, featured on BBC News

WHY SHOULD I SIGN?

The Problems


  • Nearly 500 hours of raw sewage was dumped by SWW along the Quay alone in 2021, almost doubling on figures from the previous year. Across all of Exeter’s waterways, raw sewage poured in for a staggering 1980 hours [1]
  • South West Water has failed to meet pollution targets for over ten years [2], with the Environment Agency calling the company’s performance “consistently unacceptable” [3]
  • Sewage harms river biodiversity and poses health risks for local swimmers and water users
  • Shareholders of South West Water have received billions in dividends when this money should be invested in updating Victorian infrastructure

Our Demands


  • INCREASE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT by a significant sum starting this tax year. Why? SWW has cut capital investment by 48% since the 1990s [4] while paying billions to shareholders [5]
  • LINK CEO Susan Davy’s pay (a reported 1.7million last year alone) to sewage discharges [6] We join Ofwat and Defra in calling for executive pay to be linked to performance [7]
  • INCREASE STORAGE CAPACITY at Exeter sewage works and surrounding towns and end daily HGV journeys transporting waste to be dumped in Exmouth [8]
  • SUPPORT NEW DEVELOPMENT Where new houses are built, SWW must coordinate with developers and invest in sufficiently expanding network capacity

After decades of profit before the R. Exe,
it is time for SWW to clean up its act immediately.

^^The Giant Loo Roll Petition unrolled at Exeter Quay

JOIN US TO UNROLL THE GIANT LOO ROLL PETITION
AGAINST SWW SEWAGE DUMPING

Join us to unroll a giant loo roll covered in signatures outside SWW headquarters to protest illegal levels of sewage dumping.

We'll be adding the online signatures to the dozens already collected locally by Exeter Friends of the Earth. Come meet Terrence the Turd (as seen on TV and national BBC news) and his daughter Tina!

We want it to be a friendly, fun, peaceful gathering. Any individuals under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Remember to bring your own banners and signs!

Date/Time: Monday 18th 4.30pm

Meeting Place: Meet at Digby & Sowton train station at 4.15pm
and then walk over to SWW HQ for 4.30pm

Travel:
Nearest station: Digby and Sowton, 10mins walk from station

Exeter Central departure: 15.54; arrives at Digby and Sowton 16.11
Digby and Sowton Park and Ride, 10min walk to SWW
Tesco car park nearby, 15min walk to SWW HQ for 4.30pm

SWW HQ Address
South West Water Limited,
Peninsula House,
Rydon Lane,
Exeter, EX2 7HR

(near Halfords)


Let us know if you have any questions, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Exeter Friends of the Earth


To: Susan Davy, CEO of South West Water
From: [Your Name]

Exeter Calls for Action to Stop Sewage Discharges and Put Clean Rivers before Shareholder Profits

We are concerned Exeter locals and visitors who call on SWW to take immediate action to stop dumping raw sewage in the R. Exe and sea. We want to see the rivers kept clean for our children and pets to enjoy as well as ourselves and wildlife!

The Problems

Nearly 500 hours of raw sewage was dumped by SWW along the Quay alone in 2021, almost doubling on figures from the previous year. Across all of Exeter’s waterways, raw sewage poured in for a staggering 1980 hours [1]

South West Water has failed to meet pollution targets for over ten years [2], with the Environment Agency calling the company’s performance “consistently unacceptable” [3]

Sewage harms river biodiversity and poses health risks for local swimmers and water users

Shareholders of South West Water have received billions in dividends when this money should be invested in updating Victorian infrastructure

Our Demands

– INCREASE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT by a significant sum starting this tax year. Why? SWW has cut capital investment by 48% since the 1990s [4] while paying billions to shareholders [5]

– LINK CEO Susan Davy’s pay (a reported 1.7million last year alone) to sewage discharges [6] We join Ofwat and Defra in calling for executive pay to be linked to performance [7]

– INCREASE STORAGE CAPACITY at Exeter sewage works and surrounding towns and end daily HGV journeys transporting waste to be dumped in Exmouth [8]

– SUPPORT NEW DEVELOPMENT Where new houses are built, SWW must coordinate with developers and invest in sufficiently expanding network capacity

After decades of profit before the R. Exe, it is time for SWW to clean up its act immediately.

Kind regards,


Reference list
[1] top-of-the-poops.org. (2021). Top of the Poops. [online] Available at: https://top-of-the-poops.org/.

[2] McGill, J. and Redfern, M. (2021). South West Water misses pollution targets for tenth year running. [online] Exeter Observer. Available at: https://exeterobserver.org/2021/09/09/south-west-water-misses-pollution-targets-for-tenth-year-running/ [Accessed 10 Jun. 2022].

[3] Southern Water named among worst for pollution. (2021). BBC News. [online] 13 Jul. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-57804727 [Accessed 10 Jun. 2022].

[4] England’s water groups slashed investment in sewage network in recent decades. (2021). Financial Times. [online] 22 Dec. Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/86ac79f2-1169-4c2e-b28c-b18ff74aac10 [Accessed 10 Jun. 2022].

[5] Laville, S. (2020). England’s privatised water firms paid £57bn in dividends since 1991. The Guardian. [online] 1 Jul. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/01/england-privatised-water-firms-dividends-shareholders.

[6] Kersley, A. and Sommerlad, N. (2022). Water firm bosses earn £15m as amount of raw sewage dumped in UK rivers rockets. [online] Mirror. Available at: https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/fat-cat-water-firm-bosses-26229950 [Accessed 10 Jun. 2022].

[7] UK water companies told to link executive pay to performance. (2022). Financial Times. [online] 21 Feb. Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/671d3cc9-ef98-4ba9-8453-54f52fa357a4 [Accessed 10 Jun. 2022].

[8] Goddard, W. (2022). Exmouth residents annoyed by rise in sewage tanker movements. [online] Exmouth Nub News. Available at: https://exmouth.nub.news/news/local-news/exmouth-residents-annoyed-by-sewage-tanker-increase [Accessed 10 Jun. 2022].