Why we inflated a giant poo emoji outside The Houses of Parliament

Thanks to a legal blunder, sewage may have been dumped illegally into our waters for as many as 7.5 million hours over the past three years.

That’s why we floated a massive inflatable poo right outside Parliament’s windows to send a clear message: clean up sewage pollution now, or it will cost you at the next election.

We commissioned expert polling to back up this message with damning stats making front-page headlines:

35% of us say the quality of the water in our local area has worsened over the past year. And with water companies reportedly pushing to hike bills to solve the sewage crisis, the poll further shows 24% of people are already struggling to pay their water bill, while a further 49% fear they couldn’t afford to pay it if it went up.

We also built a nationwide sewage tracker, using billboards and content creators to launch the site. Thousands have already tracked their poo finding out where exactly this Government is dumping their sewage. Track yours at: wheresmypoo.com 

Our campaign was covered in both national and local news outlets. From The Times and The Yorkshire Post, to The Argus, Chronicle Live and many more.

Together, we’ve made it crystal clear to the Government that they can no longer look the other way while water companies use our precious rivers and seas as an open toilet. 

Over 340,000 of us in the 38 Degrees community have been fighting tooth and nail to make the Government hold sewage dumpers to account and pass meaningful legislation to clean up our waters for good. And we have achieved so much together!

Our current petition now has over 106,875 signatures calling for no more bonuses for water company CEOs until sewage dumps stop. Water companies need to clean up their act, and with enough pressure, they will.

With a general election on the horizon, stunts and headlines like these will strike a nerve with the ministers who’ve sat on their hands for too long. And as the coverage keeps rolling, we’ll have more and more real impact.