We use limited cookies
We use cookies where necessary to allow us to understand how people interact with our website and content, so that we can continue to improve our service.
View our privacy policy
Case update 16 April 2025
‘The sea is closed’: What record-breaking sewage dumping means in Exmouth
Last year South West Water was the worst offender for dumping raw sewage. Jo Bateman tells us what that means for her daily swim.
“The first thing I do every morning is check my phone,” says Jo Bateman, “to see if the sea is closed.”
Seven years ago, Jo moved to Exmouth so she could live by the sea. A retired physiotherapist, she has been struggling with her mental health for years. But swimming daily in the sea has helped Jo reduce her antidepressants to the minimum dose.
“It brings me peace, joy, and a deep connection to nature,” she says, “as well as friendship with a wonderful group of people who also cherish this beach.”
Good Law Project is powered by people across the UKDonate now
But when Jo discovered in 2020 that South West Water was dumping raw sewage through four pipes on to Exmouth beach, this dream became a nightmare.
“I started obsessing about all the health problems you get from swimming in contaminated water – ear infections, eye infections, stomach problems,” she says. “I couldn’t go swimming on days when sewage was in the water. It was like South West Water was holding me hostage.”
Last year the firm was the worst offender for sewage dumping out of all the water companies, discharging raw sewage into rivers, waterways and the sea on 56,000 occasions, for a total of 544,000 hours.
In Exmouth the company poured sewage out 217 times in 2024, for a total duration of 2,156 hours, keeping Jo out of the water for days at a time. And there have been more than 100 dumps so far this year, with 1,115 hours of spills from January to March.
“The sewage South West Water continues to dump into our waters is disgusting,” she says. “It pollutes our beaches, harms our environment and nature reserves, and makes people sick.”
That’s why we’re supporting Jo as she takes on South West Water, standing up against a company that sent a fleet of lorries to unleash a tide of sewage. After Good Law Project’s landmark victory in the Supreme Court last year, she’s broadened her challenge to cover the 300 days over the last five years when people couldn’t swim off Exmouth beach.
“We need transformational change,” she says. “I’m not backing down.”