Mermaids Against Sewage - Beach Day Picnic Saturday 27th May @ 4.30pm

Sewage pollution in our rivers is big news. How safe is the Stour? The Manningtree Mermaids intend to find out. They are applying for bathing water status off Manningtree Beach with their campaign SWiM: Safe Water in Manningtree. 

There are five combined sewage overflows that spill into the Stour close to Manningtree Beach. At the moment we don’t know how this impacts upon the quality of our water. Achieving bathing water status means the Environment Agency will carry out testing for E.coli and intestinal enterococci from May to September. These bacteria are harmful to human health and indicators of the presence of sewage. Should levels be unsafe, this places a legal obligation on polluters to clean up their act…and our water. This will benefit not only swimmers but everyone who enjoys the Stour.

The application  process for bathing water status is lengthy and complex and the SWiM team need the support of the community. Find out what you can do here: https://linktr.ee/mermaidsagainstsewage

One way you can help is by joining the Beach Day Picnic on Saturday 27 May. It’s starting at  4.30pm on Manningtree Beach and there will be kids games, live music and a group swim  (or a paddle for the more cautious!)  SWiM will launch their water user count that day, which is a critical part of the application process, and they need as many people splashing about as possible. Go along and show your support for Safe Water in Manningtree!