Steve Spring Marine Photobank 125x0

MCS kicked off a campaign on 28th June called Raising A Stink, in association with the Sunday Times, to stop raw sewage from combined sewer overflow pipes from polluting UK beaches.

In the UK, you have a one in seven chance of contracting a sewage related disease such as gastroenteritis or ear, nose and throat infections each time you swim on almost half of Britain's beaches. Sewage overflow can also contain sanitary waste flushed down toilets - such as condoms, tampons and cotton bud sticks.

Britain has 22,000 storm overflow pipes. At least 520 of UK beaches have one. These pipes carry raw sewage and storm water into the sea. They are meant to act as emergency flood relief - MCS believes that some are in continuous use.

As part of the Marine Conservation Society's campaign to stop sewage polluting beaches, MCS UK contacted the British Broadcasting Corporation and it was the subject of a Panorama programme, 'Britain's Dirty Beaches', broadcast on 7th September.

Photograph by Steve Spring/Marine Photobank.

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