Campaigners took to the land and the water to protest against the level of sewage in York’s River Ouse today (Saturday).
The Paddle-Out Protest was part of a national demonstration about the level of toxins in our waterways.
York was chosen as campaigners say the Ouse is the second-most polluted river in England – and some users have been hospitalised by infections brought on by the sewage it carries.
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Kayakers, paddle boarders and others braved the water, while many more walked the river banks chanting: “What’s in the water? There’s poo in the water. What’s the solution? End sewage pollution.”
Among them were both York MPs, Rachael Maskell and Luke Charters, as well as several city councillors.
Protesters were dressed as the E. Coli infection and carried banners saying: “Rescue Our Rivers”, “Cut The Crap” and “Paddles Not Poo”.
The Paddle-Out Protests are organised by Surfers Against Sewage.
Former Team GB swimmer Amber Keegan is a policy and advocacy officer at Surfers Against Sewage and was at the York protest.
“Today is our nationwide Paddle-Out Protest,” she told YorkMix. “So we’re here in York, but there’s almost 60 of these taking place all across the country.
“And we’re paddling out together, different water users, kayakers, swimmers, surfers, canoeists, because we’re angry about the state of our waterways.
“They’re full of pollution, and using the water recreationally can be a risk to our health, and that shouldn’t be the case.
“We’re calling on the government to take action and truly end the serious scandal once and for all with their Clean Water Bill.
“We want an end to the privatised system that puts profit ahead of people.”
She said York has a serious problem. “This is actually the second most polluted river in England, and there are also so many people using the river it’s a real risk to their health.
“And recently, there were some university students who were actually hospitalised due to the water pollution from the river. So, the public health implications of this river being so polluted is is a huge issue.”
Recently York Central MP Rachael Maskell called for the water companies to be nationalised saying: “I have a sewer running through the middle of my city.”
