09/06/2026
Newquay Town Council has unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in South West Water (SWW) joining 24 other Cornish town and parish councils in signing up to the Dowr Glan clean water campaign.
The public gallery was packed. Among those speaking, local resident Collette Holden said: “On the Surfers Against Sewage app it shows historical data for the six combined sewage overflows that Newquay has and the number of spills has jumped around fourfold for each of those since 2010.
“As residents, we all feel like, we don't have an awful lot of leverage over South West Water apart from withholding our bills, which could lead to being taken to court, so we don't want to do that.”
A surf instructor added: “The number of lessons that I’ve had to cancel, the amount of risk I've had to take having to choose between whether to keep customers and myself safe and healthy, or losing out on a day's pay.
“This is a situation not just me, but hundreds of water sports instructors in this town are being put in every season, every year.”
Mayor Cllr Drew Creek said: “As the premier holiday destination of Cornwall and the UK surf capital, South West Water is not only risking a huge impact on our tourism economy but on the health and wellbeing of our residents and visitors alike by almost constantly pumping sewage into our oceans.
“It is clear action needs to be taken, and investment needs to be made, South West Water have proven themselves not fit to run our water services.”
https://www.voicenewspapers.co.uk/news/council-vote-of-no-confidence-in-south-west-water-following-sewage-spills-914210
The campaign plans to petition the government
