00:00 Hello and welcome to a special episode of Kent Tonight. I'm Andrea Pluck and tonight
00:27 we're going to be talking about a Whitstable staple, oysters. Whitstable has been famous
00:32 for its native oysters since Roman times and are celebrated annually at the local oyster
00:36 festival. But with sewage being dumped in the town's ocean, is Whitstable's reputation
00:41 as an oyster town under threat? In recent weeks, action group SOS Whitstable took to
00:46 Tancreton Beach to protest against southern water. But the water company says it plans
00:51 to reduce water spills in Whitstable by 90% by the end of the decade. Our reporter, Ez,
00:57 went to find out more. Sewage spills have been all over the news lately, so I've come
01:10 to Whitstable to see how it's actually affecting the local industry. There seems to be an unexpected
01:15 silver lining to the spills. James tells us they've led to better testing and more focus
01:19 on food safety. Hand on heart, you know, oysters are probably the safest they've ever been
01:24 in actual fact. Because four years ago, we weren't doing any testing. You know, we didn't
01:29 have a pre harvesting risk assessment. And there wasn't the test available for things
01:33 like norovirus. But of course, this doesn't mean the industry hasn't been affected. As
01:37 well as having to spend money on purification, sewage spills can halt oyster sales. In 2013,
01:44 imported oysters had to be served at the oyster festival after a spill. And James believes
01:48 southern water haven't since done enough to improve the situation. They knew they were
01:52 being investigated 10 years ago in 2013. And they haven't used that 10 year period to improve
01:58 infrastructure. Pressure in water companies has recently increased. Protests are more
02:02 common and activist groups focusing on water safety are gaining more exposure. Because
02:07 it's not the oyster industry that's going to push change because we're a small industry.
02:12 And there's not many of us. Here in the UK, sewage and rainwater are carried in the same
02:19 pipes. This means if it rains a lot, the pipes can overfill and to avoid floods, it spills
02:25 out into the sea. This is actually legal and has been happening for decades. But there
02:29 are concerns that this is making people unwell. The Environmental Agency has been investigating
02:34 dry spills when sewage is poured into the ocean when it hasn't been raining. Southern
02:38 water was fined 90 million for raw spills in 2021. There are also concerns that spills
02:43 are happening too regularly, which increases concentration of sewage in the sea. Despite
02:48 the spills, James says his local sales are actually better than ever. They can eat the
02:52 oysters on the beach over there and see they're produced here. And this year, again, a record
02:58 year for selling Whitstable oysters in Whitstable. So if you're asking me whether it's affecting
03:03 people's perception of the product and whether they want to eat it, the answer is no. But
03:08 smaller companies are often hit harder by extra costs. So I headed to the harbour to
03:12 speak to local fishermen. What does happen is people, no matter what type of shellfish
03:17 it is, don't want it from Whitstable. Andy fishes wild oysters, which live too far out
03:22 in the sea to be affected by the spills. But he's still noticed a drop in sales. It does
03:27 affect sales. Sales can go dramatically down. And they, strangely enough, do go down once
03:33 they've had a meeting on the beach. Put a man on the moon decades ago, and we're still
03:39 dumping sewage in the sea. So I'm not against those people that are moaning about it. The
03:45 dockyard carried an infectious energy, and it reminded me of the importance of the oyster
03:50 in this town. Put Whitstable on the map, the oyster, you know, and I'm all for the oyster
03:56 beds out there because I'm afraid that's what Whitstable is all about. And the tourists
04:02 have come on the back of that. I've never seen it so busy. You know, I've been here
04:05 since the 70s, and it was a sleepy old town then, which it isn't anymore. Happy oysters.
04:13 Having test oysters. Passed my driving test first time after seeing them. Rufus is a self-proclaimed
04:17 oyster enthusiast. He grew up in Whitstable and now manages a bar that also sells oysters.
04:22 Well, it's part of our heritage. It's been around for hundreds of years. Everyone knows
04:27 about Whitstable oysters. We have the oyster festival every year. I'd say the population
04:31 probably triples. Really? Yeah. Like here, you'll have queues ten people long. Really?
04:38 Yeah. This is their oyster shopping station. This is all full of oysters.
04:44 Legend has it, Romans brought Whitstable oysters back to their families packed in snow because
04:49 they liked them so much. One of the main events in Whitstable today is the oyster festival,
04:54 and even the museum pays homage to the oyster industry. The oyster is a huge part of local
04:59 heritage and protecting the industry seems key to the community. Ez Roberts, KMTV.
05:07 Thank you, Ez. Now, it's not just seafood companies feeling the effects of water pollution.
05:12 While locals are proud of their oyster heritage, residents are feeling unsure about the safety
05:16 of the sea they swim in. Jacob Evans visited the oyster town to investigate.
05:23 Whitstable is synonymous with the oyster. In fact, records show that oysters have been
05:32 sourced here for almost 2,000 years, dating back to the Roman times. But two years ago,
05:37 Southern Water, who provide the water in the area, were fined for illegally discharging
05:42 sewage into the waterways, and there's been claims that this practice is still occurring.
05:46 So, is the humble oyster under threat? What impact could this have on the community?
05:52 Overlooking the coast is Tankerton Ice Cream Parlour, and they've seen their business suffer
05:56 as a result of the sewage spills. We've had the worst summer holidays ever.
06:03 No one wants to come to the beach for the whole day, so they're not swimming in the
06:07 water, so it's been on and off. You wouldn't be able to get a spot to sit down on the beach,
06:12 but it hasn't been like that at all this year. It's not just fears over how clean the sea
06:17 is that is hitting local businesses, but fears over how clean the town's oysters are, too.
06:22 You get people come and say, they turn their nose up and say it's Winstoble oysters.
06:27 When you try and explain to them, they have to go through filtration tanks before you
06:31 can sell them, and then you get a health mark like that, which basically says they're fine to eat.
06:42 The Winstoble oyster is something quintessentially Kent. It's part of the identity here.
06:46 But is the water putting people off? Let's see what the locals have to say.
06:51 It's affected many people I know who have been in the water for short hours, and particularly
06:56 in the last 18 months.
06:58 I don't eat the oysters, but I wouldn't swim in the sea with the pollution.
07:06 One always looks at the sea before you go in and what's it like, yes, and if you give
07:10 me an idea of your blue sea down in the Greek Isles, I'll swim there perhaps before I swim
07:15 in Winstoble.
07:17 The discharge of sewage in the area is controlled by Southern Water, and they say investment
07:22 in wastewater treatment in Kent should reduce sewage overflows by up to 20%.
07:27 But some residents have had enough.
07:29 Elaine Heffernan is one of the co-founders of the campaign group SOS Winstoble.
07:34 It impacts the lives of everyone in this town in different ways.
07:38 We were cold water swimmers who set up the campaign and sea users.
07:42 It impacts us because of health issues, and it impacts everyone who cares about the environment
07:47 because you're putting poison straight into the sea.
07:51 You know, it's appalling.
07:53 It's impacted businesses apart from the very big oyster company which has a lot of money,
07:59 the small businesses that have, their families have lived here and made their living from
08:04 that sea for years.
08:05 They've had to spend huge amounts of money, they've had to make huge borrowing in order
08:10 to be able to clean the seafood so that it's safe for people to eat.
08:15 They've had to take that responsibility and it's impacting people's wellbeing that runs
08:19 small businesses in this town.
08:21 The sense of community here and the way that people support each other is really wonderful.
08:26 But I worry for what is going to happen if we aren't able to solve the problem of what
08:35 Southern Water are doing.
08:36 In a statement, Southern Water said, "We understand the concerns raised in Whitstable
08:41 about water quality and share our community's passion for protecting and enhancing the health
08:45 of our rivers and seas.
08:47 This is why we're investing significant money and resources to divert or slow the flow of
08:52 water entering our sewers and significantly reduce the use of storm overflows.
08:56 Whitstable is at the forefront of our work in this area where we are spending £25 million
09:01 to upgrade our Swale Cliff wastewater treatment works."
09:05 The Environment Agency says it's conducting its largest ever criminal investigation into
09:11 regulation breaches by water companies across the country and that it's begun improving
09:15 regulation of the industry.
09:17 But these changes can't come soon enough for a community struggling to stay afloat.
09:22 Jacob Evans, KMTV.
09:24 Last month, the Cabinet Member for Coastal Towns, Councillor Chris Cornell, wrote a letter
09:32 to the Prime Minister demanding that water companies spoiling our seas face bigger penalties.
09:37 He joins me now to tell me more.
09:39 Hi there, how are you doing? Thank you for joining me today.
09:43 Hi. Thanks for having me.
09:46 No problem. As you've just seen just there, locals are really concerned about the impact
09:50 that sewage is having on their community.
09:52 And I know you've written a letter to Rishi Sunak echoing their concerns.
09:55 Could you just tell me a bit more about that and what the Prime Minister's response has been?
10:00 Well, he hasn't written back yet.
10:02 I think he spent most of his electoral conference flip-flopping on environmental issues recently.
10:09 What we're basically highlighting is that the sewage issue is something which local
10:14 residents live with on a day-to-day basis.
10:17 And we believe that you need greater fines in order to persuade Southern Water to make
10:22 the investment which they need to do, which to be clear is a large-scale investment.
10:28 We're talking here that they've agreed that they're spending £35 million in the catchment
10:32 in and around Swancliffe, but that's just to reduce the number of storm overflows by about 40%.
10:38 And we see about 170, 180 or so a year.
10:42 So even £35 million, to be honest, doesn't really kind of scratch the surface.
10:47 And just one last question.
10:49 One thing that cropped up was while we were talking to residents is they want to know
10:52 whether the council will be taking any action against Southern Water.
10:55 Is this something that might happen in the future?
10:58 The council's not in a position to take action against Southern Water.
11:02 What we do is we work very closely with the Environment Agency and with local water quality
11:08 groups like SOS to collect data and present data to the public about how clean the water is.
11:14 If we have any problems, we obviously report that straightaway to the Environment Agency
11:19 and we're involved in supporting their efforts where criminal action and cases are.
11:23 Thank you. Sorry, that's all the time we have for now.
11:26 But thank you so much for coming on and speaking to us.
11:29 You've been watching this Kent Tonight special with me, Andrea Pluck.
11:32 Hope you can join us again next time.
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