Ms Bateman vs South West Water: Swimmer suing over sewage leaks at Devon coast

inews

Jo Bateman, who tries to swim in the sea every day, is refusing to pay the sewage element of her water bill and said she is prepared to go to prison over it

Transcript

00:00 So I'm taking Southwest Water to court because I feel like they need to be held accountable.

00:05 I've had enough. Hi my name's Jo Bateman, I live in Exmouth, I'm a year-round sea swimmer

00:10 and I'm taking Southwest Water to court because I believe that they have taken away the amenity

00:16 of swimming in the sea by dumping sewage in it. So I swim in the sea every single day because I

00:20 absolutely love it and I love the benefits that it gives to my mental and physical health and I'm not

00:26 alone in that. There are many many people who find the same. I'm taking Southwest Water to court

00:30 because I feel like they need to be held accountable. I've had enough. I'm withholding

00:36 the sewage part of my water bill and all I get from that is threats of debt recovery and bailiffs

00:42 and I finally decided that I need to take action. I need to do something. Every single one of us

00:49 has the right to swim in the sea. It belongs to all of us. We all have that right. We may not all

00:55 choose to take it but I want to. If I win it sets an amazing precedent I hope and that will open the

01:02 floodgates for the thousands of other people who are unable to swim when sewage is dumped in the

01:06 sea by Southwest Water.

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