CAMPAIGNERS are planning a protest and rally on Southend seafront demanding an end to the practice of dumping sewage in the sea.

Southend against Sewage is organising a day of action in support of Surfers Against Sewage, the national campaign group fighting sea sewage.

It comes after beaches were closed for two weeks from Chalkwell to Shoebury last year after an outfall pipe leading into the sea began spilling sewage near Camper Road.

On Saturday, the group will march from SeaLife Adventure Centre along Eastern Esplanade.

The campaigners are calling for an end to the practice of sewage discharge into bathing waters by 2030.

A Southend Against Sewage spokesman said: “In total, water companies in England discharged raw sewage into rivers 372,533 times in 2021.

“Due to growing concern over the number of sewage discharges into English waterways, the UK government announced the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan.

“The plan aims to eliminate 40 per cent of raw sewage overflows into rivers by 2040.

“We believe this is far too slow in addressing what is clearly a worsening problem.

“We want to accelerate the momentum of support in Southend and show we will not stand for this environmental degradation any longer.”

Southend councillor Martin Terry also believes the Government should outlaw the practice of discharging sewage into the sea.

“I share campaigners’ concerns about pollution in the sea and want a blue flag on every beach,” he said.

Mr Terry also called for new legislation to force the Environment Agency to check pollution levels all year round currently they are just monitored between May and September.

He says he has been working closely with Anglian Water, following last year’s major spillage.

He added: “Anglian Water are investing a lot of money into the Eastern Valley Treatment works, which should make the system more secure.

“But unfortunately, we still have some illegal connections in the town, where builders will have done work on a property, and simply connected the sewage pipe into the surface water drainage, so we are working backwards to identify all of these, which is not easy.”