Danny Dyer among celebrities at water public ownership protest

Meanwhile Cliff Roney, a GMB activist who has worked in the water industry for more than 40 years, said: “I have seen this industry at its very best and now at its very worst.

“If the industry is not brought back into public ownership quickly, we are heading towards a national catastrophe.”

Water UK said it was working to end sewage spills “as fast as we physically can”.

“That’s why we are tripling investment over the next five years to halve spills from storm overflows and upgrade the capacity of 1,700 wastewater treatment works,” a spokesperson said.

“This is part of a record £104bn investment programme – the largest in the industry’s history – to stop sewage entering our rivers and seas, secure our water supplies and support economic growth.”

Southern Water’s director for environment and innovation, Nick Mills, said its 10-year, £1.5bn Clean Rivers and Seas Plan was “already starting to make a difference”.

“In Whitstable, we’re harnessing both AI and nature-based solutions, and we’re investing £90m in improvements to Swalecliffe Wastewater Treatment Works. Together, these measures will dramatically reduce storm overflows in the area.”

According to Defra’s Bathing Water Quality site, the most recent classification for Leysdown is rated good, based on samples taken from 2022 to 2025.

There have been no pollution incidents reported there, the website states.

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