Children at a Devon primary school who say their classmates are getting sick after swimming in pollution have taken aim at South West Water.
The seven and eight-year olds have written letters to the water company’s chief executive demanding action over sewage spills which they say make them reluctant to take a dip.
The water company has thanked the children for taking the time to write and says it is investing £760million to tackle storm overflows and improve water quality.
One of the children’s letters says: “We do not want to swim in the sewage water.”
Another says: “The water at Teignmouth Back Beach is not being tested. Please test it because kids like to swim in it but lots of kids are getting sick. Water is becoming bad and lots more kids are getting sick.”
Another tells SWW chief executive Keith Haslett: “We are writing to you because you keep letting sewage into our water.”
SWW says there have been no storm overflows in close proximity to the Back Beach during the current bathing season.
The Year Three pupils at St Michael’s Primary School in Kingsteignton started their campaign during religious education lessons, where teachers say they learned how water is treasured by people of different faiths and beliefs.
They then moved on to Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognises every child’s right to access clean water and a healthy environment.
“They were determined to play their part in protecting the places where they live, learn and enjoy the outdoors,” said teacher Belinda Twiggs.
In geography lessons they learned about rivers, the water cycle and the importance of clean waterways. They studied the environmental challenges affecting Devon’s rivers and coastal waters and discussed how polluted rivers and beaches can have far-reaching consequences.
Mrs Twiggs said they also recognised that clean beaches and safe bathing waters are essential to the success of the local tourism industry.
They then used their English skills to craft their letters, demanding that their local river and nearby beaches are regularly tested and kept healthy for bathing. They also invited Mr Haslett to visit St Michael’s to help them understand why local waters become polluted and what challenges SWW faces in improving water quality and protecting the coastline.
Their teachers said they had shown remarkable curiosity, compassion and determination throughout the project.
A statement from the school said: “We are incredibly proud of the thoughtful, respectful and persuasive way they have engaged with this important issue. The project reflects St Michael’s Primary School’s commitment to empowering children to become active citizens who understand both their rights and their responsibilities.
A spokesman for SWW said: “We’d like to thank the pupils at St Michael’s School for taking the time to write to us about an issue they care deeply about. It’s great to see young people taking such an interest in protecting our rivers and seas.
“We know people want to see cleaner rivers and seas, which is why we are investing £760million to tackle storm overflows and improve water quality across the South West. We know that there is more to do but we are heading in the right direction.
“Last year we reduced storm overflow use by 17 per cent despite significantly higher rainfall across the region.”
The Environment Agency takes samples from Teignmouth Back Beach and shares the results with SWW, Teignbridge Council, Teignmouth Town Council and local stakeholder groups.
SWW says any discharge from a storm overflow is heavily diluted by rainfall and passes through screening processes designed to remove debris before release.
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