The sewage that contaminates Britain's waterways and oceans is a stain.

Under the dark seas of southern England, 400 millions mussels are encrusted on ropes that hang from buoys scattered over an area as large as the largest airport in the country.

The Holmyards built Europe's biggest offshore mussel farming in Lyme Bay. They believed that it would be able to handle the millions of gallons sewage that is pumped into UK water each year.

Even if the bacteria are far away, they can still pollute the water and block exports for several weeks to Europe. This could damage the business of a company that produces sustainable food.

Sarah Holmyard, the sales manager at the farm, said: "It is criminal that they are allowed to dump their waste in the oceans and get away without any consequences." It's affecting a lot of businesses including ours.

The Holmyards' problems, while affecting a small industry in Britain, show how the failure of basic services such as water or sewage can have a negative impact on the economy.

Interviews with 20 people, and data analyses show that polluted waters have also affected tourism and construction projects. This is a drag on economic growth at a time the new Labour Government is trying to jump start the economy.

According to a Freedom of Information Request, in the five years leading up to October 2024 the Environment Agency objected to 60 planning applications because of the pressure they would put on local sewerage networks.

Clean water activists have begun to oppose planning applications. They believe that this will more effectively pressure the government to fix the sewage system, than the current efforts which focus on harming biodiversity.

Ash Smith, a campaigner with Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, said that "money talks". Standing knee-deep in gray, untreated sewage in a local stream in Oxfordshire, Ash Smith explained that they were opposing house building in order to demonstrate how the water system has broken down the country's overall infrastructure.

Pumping sewage into rivers, seas and oceans has been a major scandal for Britain. Privatised water companies are accused of prioritising profits over investments and dumping sewage into waterways when their ailing infrastructure can't cope.

The pollution has discouraged wild water swimmers and angered surfer, led to warnings of toxic blue-green algae blooms in lakes, and created an army who are now experts in water quality, after noticing changes in waterways.

In England, water companies will discharge sewage for more than 3.6 million hours by 2023. This will pollute streams, rivers, and coastlines with sanitary items and condoms. It could also damage ecosystems and habitats.

SEWAGE SPILLS

British sewers combine rainwater and wastewater. Water companies can "spill" water into waterways during heavy rains to avoid sewers becoming overloaded. Many have been fined, however, for releasing too much sewage.

Environment Agency data shows that South West Water discharged sewage 530,737 times in 2023, an 83% increase from 2022, making it one the worst performers in England.

South West Water is looking at ways to improve the water quality in Lyme Bay.

We are ensuring that all designated shellfish waters in the region meet the government target of fewer than 10 spills a year, 10 years before the deadline. In addition, we plan to almost double our investment from 2025-30 to 2.5 billion pounds.

John Holmyard, his wife Nicki and their plan for a mussel farm was a complex one.

After years of farming mussels in the colder waters near Scotland, they looked for a location with warmer water and a good amount of nutrients to help them grow faster. The site had to be sufficiently far offshore to prevent runoff but also have some protection from the sea to reduce the swell.

After visiting other similar sites in Britain, Europe and China, they settled on Lyme Bay and spent seven long years getting planning and regulatory approvals - not knowing if their intuition would be right.

The Holmyards expect to reach 10,000-12,000 tonnes when the project is complete.

John Holmyard who runs the farm with Nicki, Sarah, and George said that they never thought sewage would affect their farm. "But, it hasn't worked out that way."

Shellfish producers have been affected by the toxic effects of sewage.

Prior to Britain leaving the European Union, mussels or oysters were able to be shipped directly to the continent without purification. After Brexit, only purified products or those from British waters rated Class A will be accepted by the EU.

This change has almost completely destroyed the mussel industry in north Wales, on Britain's West Coast. This region used to be the main source of Britain's exports into Europe, but it now only sells to Europe rarely due to a lack in bulk purification and poor water quality.

Shellfish Association of Great Britain SAGB says British exports could double if seas are cleaner.

James Green harvests and sells shellfish in Whitstable in southeast England, a town famed for its shellfish dating back to Roman times. He used to sell about half his product to markets in Europe and Hong Kong, but Brexit, and issues with water quality, have forced him to only sell purified oysters within the country.

Southern Water, his water supplier, will be fined 90 millions pounds in 2021 because it dumped sewage for five years, up to 2015. This caused a disruption in harvests and exports. He was not compensated and said it's hard to wait until improvements.

He said, "I have a business." "Can you hold off until the changes kick in in five, six or seven years?"

Green tracks rain and sewer overflows in order to assess the risks of harvesting his oysters. He also monitors E.coli, Salmonella, and Norovirus.

Southern Water announced that it would invest heavily in order to maintain the high quality of its shellfish beds along its coast.

The 2021 court case involving events that occurred between 2010 and 2015. It found no evidence to support the impact of these events on shellfish beds. These beds are affected by a variety of factors.

Driven to despair

Holmyards mussels have been tested almost daily for E.coli contamination in the Netherlands and always come out within the Class A limits.

The British authorities have reported high E. coli numbers in monthly tests of similar nature, and classified parts of the farm as Class B.

Negative readings in the British system can result in different harvests. Holmyards was stopped from exporting their mussels from this part of the farm for a few weeks and the area was also classified as Class B at the same time next year.

The family finds it strange, because bacteria from the beach should have been heavily diluted before they reached the farm. Also, the British results don't match the Dutch tests that are more frequent.

John stated that they have been unable since Brexit to raise new capital due to the threat of export bans.

Food Standards Agency in Britain, which is responsible for classifying areas where shellfish are harvested, has said that it tried to be flexible but had to protect the public's health. It also added that classifications will only improve as water quality improves.

Sarah and George explained that an annual survey had shown the farm to have spawned a variety of species such as lobster and crab.

In Europe, their blue mussels are a premium product, renowned for their sweet, rich flavour. Despite the bans, Holmyards exports about 95% their mussels into the EU. The rest is sold in Britain.

The tourism bosses believe that this type of locally produced, high-quality food is what they should be promoting to potential holidaymakers.

Alistair Handyside is the chairman of South West Tourism Alliance. He said that while weather and costs were the main factors affecting tourism, the talk about sewage has damaged the appeal of some locations.

He said, "It makes you despair."

TOXIC EXPOUT

The sight of litter and sewage on beaches and rivers has also prompted thousands to protest.

Sally Burtt Jones was one of SOS Whitstable's founders. She is part of a group that organizes protests, tests the local water, and campaigns for legislation change.

She expressed her pride in her work as a campaigner. She said, "We care for the community and sea." "When we come together, we can bring about change."

John Reeve is a representative of Surfers Against Sewage in Saltburn, a seaside town located on the coast of the Northeast. He has studied geology and worked with local officials to determine how to manage rainwater when storms are becoming more intense due to climate changes.

He said, "We're making a change over time."

Water industry claims it has made significant investments in infrastructure since privatisation of 1989. However, population growth and climate changes have created new pressures during a period when successive governments and regulator Ofwat were focused on keeping bills low for customers.

Ofwat reported that water companies in England & Wales have paid out 53 billion pounds ($66billion) in dividends since privatisation, and collective net debt of 69.5billion in 2024.

The government has also gained the power to tie dividends to performance. It has proposed that customer bills increase by 36% on average before inflation in the next five year to fund upgrades to infrastructure. The government is reviewing the sector.

Ofwat's spokesperson stated that customers want change: "We must see a transformation of the culture and performance of companies." We will monitor companies and hold them accountable."

The Environment Agency has also been a hindrance to construction due to the failures of sewage systems.

Most objections to housing, retail, office, school, science business park, and leisure centres are overcome by finding ways to reduce the impact.

The objections can add to the time, costs and complexity of building projects. This is a major challenge for the government, which wants to stimulate a boom in infrastructure and housing construction.

The biodiversity of the world has been affected by water pollution.

The stocks of Atlantic Salmon, which spawn in the freshwater breeding grounds of Britain, have reached new lows. The rod catch for 2023, as declared in the provisional declarations, is the lowest since 1988.

Environment Agency blamed the Holmyards for the pollution and sedimentation.

Sarah stated that the potential of the business being duplicated elsewhere is huge. But if the same problems of not being allowed to export due to the water quality are present, it will not work. ($1 = 0.8046 pound) (Reporting and editing by David Clarke; Kate Holton, Dylan Martinez)

(source: Reuters)