Amble swimmer calls for end to sewage dumping in the sea
A 73 year old open water swimmer has called for action to be taken to stop the dumping of raw sewage in the sea. Gillies Owen, who swims several times a week in Amble’s Little Shore, is writing to his MP in a bid to end the practice, and he is asking others to do the same.
Gil Owen swimming in Amble’s Little Shore
Gil wrote to the Ambler:
As a regular open water swimmer I have been unable to swim in the Little Shore on numerous occasions this year due to the discharging of raw sewage by Northumbrian Water. Discharge has taken place over 60 times in 2020.This practice presents serious health risks to swimmers and watersports participants these activities have become increasingly popular. There are no warning notice signs on shorelines to let people know when sewage has been discharged. Hardly a warm welcome to Amble as the Friendliest Port!
There is a Private Members Bill second reading on 22nd January aimed at stopping this horrible practice. I have emailed our MP to ask her to support the Bill and would urge Amble residents to do the same. We have a pride in our town and don’t want it to have a reputation for pollution.
You can email MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan here: annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk
Anna Williams
Related article: https://www.theambler.co.uk/2020/12/10/raw-sewage-pumped-onto-amble-beach-62-times-in-one-year/
Northumbria Water just can’t get Amble sewage right. For the 1978/80 Amble Sewage Upgrade. They built a pumping station at the Harbour, to pump the sewage out to sea passed Pan Point. I remember them ‘blasting’ on the seabed to lay the pipes. The sewage pipes would not stay on the seabed and kept floating about, so that had to be abandoned, and the plumping station demolished, and a small one built in its place. What a waste of money.
Several times in recent years the drains in the area of Amble that I live have been overwhelmed and sewage has ended up in our streets and gardens and come very close to flowing into our homes. How much more of a health hazard must that be to local people. I do not support pumping untreated sewage into the sea but if that is the only solution during periods of very heavy rain fall, I would rather it was discharged into the sea than my living room. I do believe that someone should be responsible for posting warning signs on the beaches when this occurs.