Paddle UK has joined six other national governing bodies calling for clean open water for people to enjoy what they love.
Along with British Rowing, British Triathlon, the Angling Trust, GB Outrigger, Royal Yachting Association and Swim England, we represent about 450,000 members, elite athletes and many others across the country who rely on our waters for sport and recreation.
The Clean Water Sports Alliance are asking for healthy and nature-rich blue spaces for everyone to enjoy.
The Alliance has set out three priorities:
- Further and faster action on pollution. Improving the health of UK waters by 2030
- Enable people to make real-time informed choices about where and when to participate
- Recognition of all recreational water users across decision making and policy
Paddle UK Head of Access and Environment, Ben Seal, told BBC Breakfast: “People are worried about their children getting sick.
“Our athletes are concerned when they go out training, are they going to get poorly doing the thing they love?
“We’re hearing it every day now, there’s a lot of rivers under threat of sewage discharge and that puts our members and community under direct threat.”
Water quality and pollution is one the biggest concerns for all users of blue space right now.
Paddle UK believes decision makers and the regulator needs to commit to going further, faster to protect human health.
We will continue to do everything we can to be a strong voice in the water sport sector and for our members.
Water quality guidance – Don’t get sick doing what you love >>
The Alliance has three asks of regulators and decision makers:
- Regulators to be adequately funded to monitor, investigate and hold polluters to account, harnessing nature-based solutions
- Enable accurate access to real-time water quality information all year round including the compulsory monitoring of all sewage outlets; recognition of open source science relating to water quality and the creation of a centralised information hub for all water sports users
- Advocate a change from ‘bathing waters' to ‘recreation waters' within government policy to recognise the wide range of activities that depend on clean water