Sick of SWW

South West Water Miss Anne Willson

PO Box 4762 XX XXXXXXXXXXXX

Worthing BN11 9NT Sidmouth  EX10 XXX

re. Sewerage charges

Customer number: XXXXXXXXXXX

Friday 27th September 2024

To whomever it may concern - not the staff on the frontline who do their very best to reply to on-going demands for improvement (I can only wish for them to find a better employer),

Thank you for your letter dated 11th September 2024.

I have been notified that further delays in paying two instalments of £14,09 would result in my details being passed on to a debt-collector…  That is astonishing in itself, but the truth is, I am the one who should be demanding payment because SWW‘s inept management of a crucial service has caused me much grief.

It is no secret that this greedy company has been charging customers more and more, while failing to update the antique infrastructure, which is now crumbling and causing the most criminal pollution events, including the deliberate pumping and discharge straight into the sea of raw sewage in Exmouth.  I have been given to understand that many poor business decisions have been taken, i.e. fattening up the shareholders’ portfolios while no adequate funding was put aside for upgrading the sewage system that may have been Prince Albert’s pride and joy, no doubt, nearly two centuries ago, but is now totally inadequate given the pressure that a growing population of SWW customers has inevitably been putting on the system.  There are limits to the strain under which ‘built-to-last’ Victorian infrastructures may be used and abused.  It is a disgrace beyond my comprehension that the people of this country are expected to bathe and swim in highly toxic waters and also to pay for the privilege!  A clear breach of human rights which has been tolerated, nay, subsidized by the government…  What world are we living in!?

I have been closely following the debacle that has unfolded, (interestingly only) in the last few years.  From my sickbed where I have been confined for long periods since 2022, I have witnessed the distress caused to local citizens by the decisions and actions of a greedy, underhand and criminal organization, to whom I, like all other citizens, have to pay an extortionate charge not only to have clean running water but also to trust that my sewage is treated appropriately by an environmentally conscious company.  It is not too much to ask that our waters, both rivers and seas, may be kept free from potential health hazards by the organization that is charging us for a service that is simply NOT delivered!  It seems ludicrous that, in this beautiful green land, we are being taken advantage of by the greedy few and our health is being jeopardized every time we go near water…

I, like many, suffer from mental health issues, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, so the best medicine that can help alleviate my symptoms is sea-bathing - as a first recommendation by Vs Arthritis and many other reputable sources.  I am fortunate enough to have been living and working (until I got too sick) in a sea town that many people gravitate towards for their leisure and wellbeing.  However, at this time when my health is in dire straits, I am being prevented from using this natural god-given facility by the criminal actions of a very powerful (because unchallenged by any competition) organization.  Loss of amenity is something we all wish did not apply to our natural outdoor waters.

I went into the sea on Friday 20th September 2024 at 3.45 p.m. for the third time only this season.  As usual, I double-checked that the Surfers Against Sewage map indicated by a green tick on my town that it was safe to enter the water…  I enjoyed my outing very much and returned home feeling quite uplifted.  But I woke up the next day feeling very unwell, my eyes stinging and my skin very itchy in places; then I ended up suffering from severe sickness and diarrhoea into the late hours of the evening.  I am now recovered enough to write the letter, with my son’s help, but am still feeling quite nauseous and weakened by this experience.  My son, who is also my carer, got quite worried as he had never witnessed my being so sick before…  He recounted having to cover for a colleague fairly recently, because the fit and healthy young man went in the sea one day and suffered acutely from sickness and diarrhoea as a result.  These are not isolated incidents.  Even though they may not make the headlines, we know as a community that there are plenty of incidents happening regularly.  So, why are we made to just put up with it? 

It is inconceivable that, in a ‘first world country’, we should have to live through such unacceptable experiences, because a few powerful people wish to line their pockets.  I am disgusted by the sheer injustice of it and it makes me want to cry every day.  I am not well enough to take action very fast, but I am considering my options and wish to possibly follow in Jo Bateman’s footsteps as it seems that only drastic action will stop SWW’s criminal carry-ons.

Unlike many, I could manage to pay the bills if they were justified; I get help with balancing my books so I pay all my bills with gratitude for the services that are provided; all, that is, except my water bills.  Those are a constant source of stress and dejection.  I have a very strong sense of justice and being made to fund crimes against our environment and all citizens, including myself, actually causes me mental torment.  I have so far paid my bills in their entirety because my chronic ailments prevented me from doing anything but the bare essentials such as getting up. washed and dressed.  However, now that I have joined the cohort of customers who have been physically sick after exposure to polluted sea water, I feel galvanized into making a stand.  

The charge I am billed for sewerage is  £312.05 in 2024 and was £302.09 in 2023. I simply wish to respectfully ask for a refund on the grounds that SWW do not hold their end of the bargain and do not use my payments to deal with raw sewage adequately.  Honestly, I would be very happy to pay my bills in full if SWW ran an ethical company and proved to be honourable.  Sadly, at the moment -and for a long time, the willful ineptitude of SWW has caused damage to our planet, and so to mine and many others’ health, both mental and physical.  I cannot be expected to simply acquiesce and keep paying, that would be ludicrous. 

Please ensure that my claim reaches the highest levels of the hierarchy as I do wish them to know that their actions are unacceptable.

Kind regards,

Anne Willson