CAMPAIGNERS staged a rally ahead of a historic vote to decide whether Cornwall Council supports a vote of no confidence in South West Water and calls for the company to be taken back into public ownership.

Councillors, community leaders, residents and environmental groups gathered outside County Hall in Truro to highlight the impact of the sewage crisis on beaches, rivers, and wildlife as part of the Dowr Glan (Cornish for clean water) campaign on Tuesday morning.

Some 60 Cornish town and parish councils have voted to back the cross- party campaign whose residents have seen local beaches and waterways polluted by sewage spills, which represents all the county’s major towns and well over half of its population.

Some 60 Cornish town and parish councils have voted to back the cross- party campaign (Picture: Warren Wilkins)
Some 60 Cornish town and parish councils have voted to back the cross- party campaign (Picture: Warren Wilkins)

Dowr Glan believe the vote will send a resounding message to national government that Cornwall will hold the new prime minister Andy Burnham to his word at a critical moment for the future of the water industry. It follows Mr Burnham taking office on a promise to bring public services back under public control.

Groups including Clean Seas Newquay and Surfers Against Sewage attended the rally.

Zoe Fox, a Camborne town councillor, said: “We are here to hand in a letter, which has been signed by almost 60 councils who have signed a vote of no confidence in South West Water.

“We are asking that the Water Special Measures Act is applied to South West Water because of the scandalous lack of service Cornish people have been receiving.

“We have had raw sewage in the streets, there are constant bathing water spills and pollution in rivers. We are here to say we have had enough.

“We hoping for a good result. We are expecting councillors are wanting to support this as have the councils.”

Dean Evans, the Green Party’s Cornwall Councillor for Penryn, who is bringing the motion to Cornwall Council with Cllr Loveday Jenkin of Mebyon Kernow (Crowan and Wendron), said: “The way the water companies were set up was wrong. It’s always been wrong and no matter of tinkering is going to change it. It needs to come back into public ownership.”

Cllr Jenkin said: “This is an important step forward in people taking control in what affects their lives.

“The really important part of this is that water is a human right and the way we manage our water infrastructure is incredibly important for the future. ‘Everybody has a view on what governance of our water infrastructure should be but cross-party consensus should be democratic oversight over water infrastructure.”

Chloe Flood from Surfers Against Sewage said: “We know South West water continues to pollute and make people sick.

“The water industry is not fit for purpose. We know that and the government knows that. We have got some really big opportunities this year to make changes as to how the water industry is run.”