A pair of Isle of Wight Councillors and a Surfers against Sewage (SAS) representative are to present a motion to the Isle of Wight Council this evening (Wednesday). Councillors Michael Lilley and Sarah Redrup (Liberal Democrats) have been working over the past year with Chani Courtney of Surfers against Sewage. SAS held a Paddle Out/Sick of Sewage demonstration on Appley Beach in May 2023 and Chani and Michael have worked together in a media campaign that gained worldwide coverage of the issue. Alongside this publicity, Chani and Michael have been working with Southern Water on the concept of local water charters and a pilot for Ryde. Since Sarah Redrup was elected in August 2023, she has joined the group. The motion to be presented at Isle of Wight Council Full Council meeting on Wednesday 17th January 2024 is a joint effort and is evidence-based. The aim is to start 2024, with highlighting the issue, stimulate a debate and get cross-party/councillor support to prioritise the total reduction of sewage pollution in the sea surrounding the Island once and for all. Chani Courtney (Volunteer regional rep for Surfers against Sewage and Ryde resident) says:
“The Isle of Wight in March 2022 to March 2023 was responsible for 40% of the combined sewage overflow duration into the Solent. Highlighting this practice is unacceptable through dedicated campaigning has had results. CEO of Southern Water and the chief finance officer gave up their bonus last May and Southern Water since 2017 has not paid dividends ” “My opinion is that change is here, solutions are being tested and proven effective and we need wider installation of these. We need to work as the outstanding community the Isle of Wight is at all levels and the council has a crucial role to play in this.” “We need to ensure local communities and economies are centred around healthy blue spaces and people from cities to the coast are proud of their local natural blue spaces. Solutions need to be from sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and constructed wetlands at a local level, to landscape scale restoration projects, nature has huge potential to relieve the pressure on sewerage systems and prevent the use of overflows. When used in the right place and cared for effectively, they can be the most cost effective option with the co-benefits of trapping carbon, improving biodiversity and reducing flood risk”
Cllr Sarah Redrup (Wootton Bridge) says:
“Given recent flooding events and shocking stories of flood victims having sewage flowing into their homes, it is clear to me that we need to be doing more to ensure our Island and our waters are cared for. We are calling on the Council to keep flooding, sewage and drainage at the forefront of all planning and development decisions. With practical steps like sustainable urban drainage projects, we can make a real difference. Together, I hope all councillors will get behind a shared goal of making 2030 the year we finally have zero sewage releases in our waters.”
Councillor Michael Lilley (Ryde Appley and Elmfield) says:
“My ward is the home to one of the largest sewage pumping station on Island which is underneath Appley Park alongside Appley and Ryde beaches. The simple fact in Ryde is that the south of the town is higher than the north which faces the Solent; when it rains heavily all the surface water goes down the hill at fast speed and comes off all the roofs and into the single drainage system which includes sewage. This overflows and sewage saturated water is released into the Solent. IW Council needs to debate the reality of Southern Water’s continuing action and take a real lead in finding an agreed Island-wide solution.”
