Film inspired by woman suing water firm premieres

Exmouth sea swimmer Jo Bateman is taking action against SWW

A film about a woman campaigning against sewage pollution in the sea has premiered.

Jo in the Water follows the journey of Exmouth sea swimmer Jo Bateman, who is taking legal action against South West Water (SWW) over the amount of sewage dumped into the water along the Devon coast.

SWW said the film looked at historic challenges the firm had been working on resolving, including the installation of a 1.4km (0.87-mile) sewer in Exmouth to increase resilience to the town's wastewater network.

Speaking at the premiere in Exeter on Sunday, the retired physiotherapist said she had "absolutely no idea that all of the things that have happened would happen".

She said: "I just could not have foreseen it - people said to me when it did blow up, 'They'll be making a film about you next'... or you'll be speaking in the Houses of Parliament.

"It was laughable, I thought, and then all those things have happened."

Director Pip Piper predicted the film would be "all over the UK" when it comes out next year.

"The idea really is to try and inspire and encourage people that they can take action locally themselves and hopefully together we can do something about this really important issue," he said.

Producer Phil Webb said the film, made in partnership with charities Surfers Against Sewage and River Action, had been brought to life by "Jo's courage".

"It is not just about water pollution, it is about connection to nature, to our own sense of place and to our responsibility for the world around us," he said.

'Record investment'

SWW said it had long-term improvement plans for its network which included what it called one of "the UK's largest environmental investment programmes".

"In Exmouth, we have just completed the installation of a new 1.4km sewer which increases the resilience of the town's wastewater network as part of our record investment programme in the area," it said.

It said it had cut spills at bathing beaches by 20% over the last five years and removed three quarters of the top 20 highest spilling sites from 2023.

The company said change would take time, but it was on track to succeed.

A spokesperson said: "There's still more to do, but we're heading in the right direction – driven by our determination to deliver what matters most to our customers."