Collaboration urged over island sewage spills

There should be more collaboration over improving water quality and preventing sewage spills, campaigners and a water company have both urged.

Surfers Against Sewage and the Solent Protection Society joined Southern Water at a public meeting on the Isle of Wight.

Figures show the island has 35% of the worst Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO’s) spills into the Solent.

Mike Rainey, of the Solent Protection Society (SPS), said there were "no quick fixes" in improving the island's water infrastructure.

The event held at the Riverside Centre in Newport saw the three organisations set out their plans to work together on long-term solutions.

The SPS has analysed Environment Agency data on CSOs around the Hampshire and Isle of Wight coastlines.

It found 2023 discharges rose from an average of around 40,000 hours in each of the three preceding years to more than 112,000 hours.

Ryde and Cowes were among the worst areas for hours of discharges into the Solent.

Mr Rainey said "sustainable drainage" was needed.

"It is going to be collaborative, it's going to take a long time - there are no quick fixes here," he said.

"We're essentially dealing with a Victorian drainage system which now desperately needs another upgrade.

"[Southern Water] have good PR which always tell the good stories and the successes. We are in the position of being able to say 'yes but...' and ask the pertinent questions."

The island has also suffered from severe flooding incidents - more than 100 properties in Ryde were deluged during heavy rainfall in October 2023.

Southern Water said it was aiming to reduce storm overflows by reducing the amount of water entering the system during heavy rainfall.

Its Slow the Flow initiative includes the installation of water butts and encouraging replacing hard-surfaced driveways with more porous materials

The meeting also heard about the company's use of AI technology to monitor CSOs and predict spills, as well as regreening urban areas to "sponge rainfall".

Southern Water's Keith Herbert said: "We want to see the same thing as our campaigners - we want to see a better environment and we'll work towards it with anyone who will work for us."

Chani Courtney, of environmental group Surfers Against Sewage, said people needed to "feel powerful and part of the solution".

"All opinions need to be heard. Whenever I'm invited, I like to collaborate with Southern Water," she said.

"They spend all of their working hours fixing the things I'm complaining about.

"It switches from that anger, which is a necessary spark... I like backing it up with 'here's what you can do'".

Among those attending, Des Wiltshire from Ryde said he was surprised to see campaigners and water company "cosying up".

He said: "A lot of points got a bit glossed over. It very much seemed like the problem was ours to deal with, rather than the big companies to pay for."

Open water swimmer Sylvia Clare said she was "angry" at the island's sea water quality.

She said: "It's frustrating I can't go to a certain beach because there's been an outpouring.

"There needs to be more public understanding and education about what we can all do to alleviate this huge problem."

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.