Nov 26th, 2024
Surprising water bosses at “The Grand Sewage Conference”
By 38 Degrees team
38 Degrees, together with our friends at People vs Profiteers, went undercover in Brighton to hijack the water industry’s annual conference, sending water company bosses a message they couldn’t ignore.
It all began with a phone call. Having done a little detective work online, posing as a conference goer, we sussed out where we thought the top-secret venue for the British Water Conference event might be. Armed with the intel, we got to work planning how we could make a big impact. Here’s how it played out on the day…
When water company CEOs arrived at Brighton train station for their cosy get-together, they didn’t need to check Google Maps for their route to the venue – because we’d already helpfully laid out stickers paving the way to “The Grand Sewage Conference” at The Grand Hotel on the seafront!
As if that wasn’t enough to tick them off, they turned the corner only to be confronted with a mobile billboard right outside the venue, displaying shocking statistics about the 1,135 criminal convictions and £164 million in fines their firms have racked up from polluting our waters with sewage. What a way to start the day! You can just picture it: a lengthy queue for the coffee machine full of rattled, red-faced execs muttering under their breaths, in urgent need of something to settle their nerves!
The stunt comes as the Water (Special Measures) Bill – a landmark piece of new legislation designed to crack down on water companies over sewage – makes its way through Parliament, alongside plans for a root-and-branch review of the entire industry, with huge public support for strong legislation that ends the sewage scandal. Over 240,000 people have signed 38 Degrees petitions calling for water companies to be brought to justice and objecting to proposed water bill hikes.
Matthew McGregor, 38 Degrees CEO, said:
“The scandal of sewage in our seas and rivers is an environmental disaster decades in the making. It’s rightfully making headlines every single week and the public are clear who they level the blame at: water companies.
Since they were privatised in 1989, water companies have been racking up huge fines and criminal convictions for illegal sewage spills; whilst bills for customers soar and execs and shareholders profit through bonuses and dividends. The public have had enough, and that’s why we’ve brought a message to water company bosses to Brighton today that they can’t miss: enough is enough, clean up this mess, now!
The Government has made a welcome commitment to tackling sewage head-on. The forthcoming Water Bill and independent commission must now result in real change, and meet the growing call from the public to clamp down on water companies and stop the sewage scandal once and for all.”
Jack Steadman, from People vs Profiteers, said:
“Water bosses want to hike our bills by up to 84% to fix a mess they created. They were the ones pumping sewage into our rivers, lakes, and seas – they should pay to clean it up.
England is one of only two countries in the world where water is run purely for profit. With a new commission and the Water Bill going through parliament, Labour has a chance to finally end this failed experiment once and for all.”
Residents in and around Brighton have shared their frustrations with local sewage pollution.
Lynn, from Brighton Pavilion, said:
“I’m an all year round sea swimmer. It is very frustrating when you go to go for a swim only to see that sewage has yet again been dumped in it.”
Roger, from Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, said:
“I live on the coast and have four grandchildren who love the beach and sea but during the summer there were a number of spillages and the sea was not safe for us to use. We all need clear water and clean air. The wildlife, fish, birds etc need clean water and clean air. What will be the cost in the future if we don’t sort it now?”
Tony, from Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, said:
“The filth that is dumped into the sea which the locals know will make you ill if you swim in it is just totally unacceptable. The boatrace competitors couldn’t even celebrate their win and were advised to keep out of the water. These things didn’t used to happen in the past.”
Rosemary, from Brighton Pavilion, said:
“No water company should be able to prioritise paying share dividends over investments in infrastructure… I live in Brighton – the sea shore is a disgrace. This has to be stopped!”
You can read more about our investigation into the decades of criminality in the water industry here.
