Frequently Asked Questions

On Pollution

There is a pollution event occurring! What do I do?

If you witness a pollution event, the first thing to do is to contact the Environment Agency emergency hotline, 0800 80 70 60 (This number is the same in Scotland and Northern Ireland). The E.A. (or their equivalents in Scotland and Northern Ireland) act a bit like the 'green police' and will go and check it out. Then contact us. We will then apply pressure to resolve the situation. By registering it first with the E.A., there is an official record of the event. This gives us much more to work with when pushing for a prosecution or an infrastructure improvement.

What diseases can I catch from sewage-polluted water?

The most common diseases caught from surfing or swimming in sewage-polluted water are gastroenteritis (often resulting in diarrhoea and vomiting) or ear, nose and throat infections. As well as these, pathogens in sewage such as Hepatitis A and E. coli 0157 can cause much more serious, potentially life threatening, illnesses.

I have become ill after being in water that may have been polluted. What should I do?

The first thing to do is go to the doctor! Explain that you have been in water that may have been polluted and they should be able to tell you if this is a likely cause (and prescribe any medication you require). Fill in our on line medical response form, which asks for details about when and where you entered the water and what your symptoms were (this information is kept confidential). It is not necessary that you have been to the doctor to fill in this form - all information helps. This data can then be used by SAS to determine problem areas that need attention.

What can I do to help prevent water pollution?

Never flush anything down the toilet other than poo, pee and paper. Bag it and bin it. Flushed items such as cotton buds or sanitary towels can either cause a blockage leading to a raw sewage overflow or may pass through the sewage system and end up on the beach.

Many household cleaning products that end up down our drains contain chemicals that are harmful to the marine environment. Use eco-friendly alternatives.

Never drop any litter on the beach. It is unsightly and can be harmful to marine life. Even litter dropped in a city can wash into a drain or river and end up in the sea. Don't drop litter anywhere!

Think about climate change and try to reduce your energy usage. If climate change continues unchecked it is likely to have a huge impact on the marine environment and coastal areas. Amongst other things, increased rain intensity and sea level rise will lead to more flooding and sewer overflows, resulting in a decrease in water quality.

Do SAS have the bathing water results for my local beach?

This information (current and past years) is held by the Environment Agency (beaches in England and Wales) the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (beaches in Scotland) and the Environment and Heritage Service (beaches in Northern Ireland) and can be found on their respective websites.

Which are the cleanest beaches in the UK?

Water quality can change from hour to hour so it is often difficult to predict whether water quality is good or bad. As a general rule bathing waters which benefit from tertiary sewage treatment locally tend to be consistently clean and safe. SAS recommends the Marine Conservation Society's (MCS) Good Beach Guide available online at www.goodbeachguide.co.uk

There is lots of rubbish on my local beach/lake or river. What can I do?

Organise a clean up! Get a group of friends together and get stuck in to cleaning it up. You could do this on a regular basis. See our Marine Litter campaign section for more information.

I would like to do a beach clean - are you doing any?

SAS have adopted Porthtowan beach under the Marine Conservation Society's (MCS) adopt a beach scheme. Here we carry out a minimum of four beach cleans a year and feed the results back into the national survey. For more information go to www.adoptabeach.org.uk

On SAS

How do SAS campaign?

SAS use a variety of campaign tactics to influence decision makers in creating recreational waters free from pollution. We carry out peaceful, but hard-hitting actions to generate campaign momentum, use supportive politicians to help us in the corridors of power, and need the likes of YOU to build on that support by signing campaign postcards or writing letters.

What are SAS's achievements to date?

SAS has been hugely influential in lobbying the government and the water industry to invest in full sewage treatment technology and we now see many improved sewage treatment facilities in place across the country that help keep recreational water clean and safe. More recently our lobbying and actions at the House of Commons and European Parliament have helped secure an improved Bathing Water Directive that from 2008 will see Europe's bathing waters having to pass stricter water quality standards providing recreational water users with safer bathing water. SAS has also been instrumental in protecting our coastline from other pollution sources than just sewage. SAS lobbying has helped in prosecuting shippers causing pollution such as the RMS Mulheim, prevented toxic naval vessels being broken down in the North East and encouraged local authorities to adopt anti-litter beach initiatives to name a few.

How many members do SAS have?

10,000, the majority of which are UK based, but with some European and International memberships.

How are SAS funded?

SAS are a non-profit making organisation campaigning for cleaner, safer recreational water. We receive no government support and SAS funds come from individual membership subscriptions, the selling of SAS merchandise, SAS fundraising events such as the SAS Ball and sponsorship from companies looking to put back some of their profits into environmentally friendly initiatives. In addition to these, many SAS members organise their own events and donate the proceeds. All of which helps SAS's busy campaigners take the campaign message that much further.

I want to organise a fundraising event for SAS. Is this possible?

Yes, please click here to visit our fundraising section on the home page.

I am doing a project for school / college / university. Could you send me some information about SAS and / or water pollution?

Most of the information you require is probably available on our website. Please click here to see what educational resources we have available for schools. If, after reading this, you have any specific questions about any aspects of our organisation or campaigns, email us at info@sas.org.uk or call 01872 553001.

Can SAS come and do a talk at the school I teach at?

SAS do offer school talks but due to logistics, availability is limited and are only possible in Cornwall at present. SAS do charge a small fee for school talks.

How can I help SAS?

Firstly, become an SAS member! This provides us with much-needed funds and the more members we have, the bigger voice we have to lobby for change. Click here to JOIN

Let us know of any pollution problems in your area. We rely heavily on being kept informed by our members around the country. The sooner we know about a problem, the more SAS will be able to help.

Volunteer your time. Most of the help we need is based at our St Agnes office, but we also need help at some of our actions. If you have any time or expertise please email wendy@sas.org.uk or Tel: 01872 553001.

Back