Surf contest cancellation due to sewage 'a first'

More than 140 surfers had descended on Porthtowan at the weekend for the championships

Organisers of a surfing competition in Cornwall said they were forced to cancel the event due to sewage in what they described as an "absolute first".

Surfing England called off the English Interclub Surfing Championships in Porthtowan on Sunday after the local council red-flagged the beach because of a sewage discharge.

Hannah Brand, from Surfing England, said: "We've never had to cancel events due to a sewage output [before] - we couldn't believe it."

A spokesperson for South West Water (SWW) said the storm overflow was activated "in line with [our] permits following heavy rainfall in the area".

'We are devastated'

Ms Brand said that more than 140 surfers had signed up for the competition, which started on Saturday, with some taking to the water at 08:00 BST before the decision to close the beach was taken by the local council.

Surfing England said: "We were devastated to end the event early, especially with clean 3-5ft (0.9-1.5m) waves providing perfect competition conditions - and with such a high standard of surfing on display from the clubs."

The campaign manager for Surfers Against Sewage said South West Water needed to show greater transparency

Rob Abrams, campaign manager for Surfers against Sewage, said the health risks from sewage were "very serious".

In the past, people had contracted gastroenteritis and respiratory issues, he said, as well as skin, eye and ear infections, with some people being hospitalised for up to a week.

Mr Abrams said water companies were legally allowed to flush their sewage systems under "extraordinary" conditions, such as very heavy rain.

However, he said it was "very questionable" whether Sunday's conditions were "actually extraordinary".

'Little bit of rain'

Mr Abrams said it was "unequivocally illegal" for companies to expel sewage from their systems on dry days, adding that SWW had been responsible for more than 2,000 such incidents in the first six months of 2025.

He said a lack of transparency from SWW made it hard to draw definitive conclusions but there was a suspicion the company was "using a little bit of rain to justify sewage discharges".

He added that SWW need to show greater transparency.

Ben Powis, chief executive at Surfing England, said there was a "real sense of deep frustration" that the discharge had been allowed to happen.

He said the permits should only be used in extreme weather events but it seemed to him that SWW had used it on a "slightly rainy September day".

"We need to see change and we need the regulators to push harder," Mr Powis added.

"The water companies also need to put more investment into facilities to manage water flow and not discharge it into the sea."

'Change takes time'

A SWW spokesperson said: "We are clear that storm overflows must only be used when absolutely necessary.

"Our customers want to see immediate action to reduce the use of storm overflows and this is our absolute priority."

SWW said it had "a record, multi-billion pound investment programme in place" but the company added that "change on this scale takes time".

The spokesperson said SWW was "already seeing results and we have committed to complete this work a decade ahead of government targets".

The Environment Agency (EA) said it had an officer in attendance on the day and it was investigating the circumstances of the discharge.

"Heavy rain was experienced in the area over the weekend and it is during this kind of intense rainfall that sewage treatment works are able to utilise their storm overflow permit conditions," an EA spokesperson added.

'Unfair bonuses'

Mr Abrams said the government had been making the "right noises" but called on it to make "transformational" changes to the water industry.

"We fundamentally need water companies that work to benefit the public and the environment and not private profit as they have been over the last 35 years."

He said water companies were putting profits ahead of the environment and local communities, adding: "At this stage it's not just speculation, it's the absolute verifiable truth."

A Defra spokesperson said: "This government has put in place the building blocks to clean up England's rivers, lakes and seas - blocking unfair bonuses for water executives and rebuilding sewage pipes to slash pollution levels in half.

"We will also create a new, powerful regulator responsible for the entire water sector."

Mr Abrams said closing beaches because of sewage would "harm the reputation" of the region.

"These events will bring hundreds of people from around the country and that's bringing money into all sorts of local businesses.

"It's helping keep the economy afloat in times when tourists [and] more traditional summer holiday tourism is on the wane."

He added that it was "heartbreaking" to hear surfers and tourists saying they would "go elsewhere".