Turning sewage pollution into a national political priority

Sector and focus area

Environmental advocacy, water quality, public affairs and community mobilisation

Context and challenge

Sewage pollution had affected UK waters for decades, but long-standing public concern had not yet translated into the level of political urgency needed to address the crisis. Surfers Against Sewage wanted to elevate the issue from an enduring environmental problem to a top national priority.

The challenge was to build sustained public awareness and community mobilisation across the UK while ensuring sewage pollution remained visible through changing news and political cycles. Ahead of the 2024 General Election, the work also needed to secure meaningful commitments across party lines.

Approach and strategy

The strategy combined authoritative data, human stories and visible public action. Over five years, 15 coordinated media launches were anchored in evidence from Surfers Against Sewage’s hard-hitting Water Quality Reports, giving journalists a consistent flow of credible new material.

Data revelations, including the ‘dry spill’ exposé, were paired with personal testimony and eye-catching stunts that made the consequences of sewage pollution tangible. Paddle-out protests provided powerful visual evidence of public concern and connected the national media story with action in coastal communities.

On-the-ground support, media training and strategic communications equipped communities to speak with confidence, extending the campaign’s reach and helping local voices contribute to a coherent national narrative.

Work delivered

• Fifteen coordinated media launches over five years, built around evidence from Water Quality Reports.
• National media campaigns combining data revelations, human stories and high-visibility stunts.
• Communications support for paddle-out protests and other community-led action.
• Media training and on-the-ground support to strengthen community voices.
• Sustained strategic communications designed to keep sewage pollution on the national news and political agenda.

Outcomes and impact

The campaign secured widespread, sustained media attention over multiple years and helped push sewage pollution to the top of the national news and political agenda. A consistent media presence contributed to all major UK political parties including sewage commitments in their 2024 General Election manifestos.

The scale of coverage gave campaign evidence and community voices national visibility, turning individual pollution incidents into a sustained account of a systemic issue.

Why this work matters

Long-running environmental problems can become normalised when attention is fragmented or short-lived. This work showed the value of combining credible evidence, strategic media pressure and community mobilisation over time.

By keeping sewage pollution visible and politically relevant, the campaign helped create the conditions for cross-party commitments and strengthened the case for action on water quality.