Campaigners marched through Weymouth in protest of raw sewage being dumped into the sea off the Dorset coast.

Protesters crossed the Weymouth seafront and moved into the town in an effort to call on water utility firm Wessex Water to upgrade sewage networks and end the practice of using emergency outflows.

During heavy or prolonged rainfall, sewers can exceed capacity which means contents are released into the sea and rivers to protect properties from flooding and prevent sewage from backing up into streets and homes.

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Saturday's march was organised by Extinction Rebellion and started at the King's Statue where around 80 protesters gathered to hear speeches. An information stall was also set up and leaflets were handed out.

Some people dresssed in ocean-themed outfits. Banners were carried which read 'Mermaids like to keep it clean', 'Keep our seas clean' and 'Solution not pollution'.

Ettienne Stott, an Olympic champion canoeist who enjoys water sports off the Dorset coast, said: “We love our rivers and seas in this country and to let them be used as open sewers is completely unacceptable.

“People should be confident in the rivers and seas where they swim.”

Sarah Barnes, who often swims in the sea at Sandsfoot, said: “I am extremely grateful I get to live in this place with beautiful beaches. I just want to keep them as beautiful as they can be.

“A lot of people have told me today that Weymouth Beach is already one of the cleanest and I told them; yeah, and I want to keep it that way.

“We want to preserve what we have got.”

Ali Chown, from Weymouth, swims in the sea three to four times a week.

She said: “I swim all year round and I don’t want to swim through effluent.

“It is obscene that they are making profits at the expense of clean rivers and seas.”

As part of the protest, a large buoyant ‘poop’ was trailed behind a kayak as it travelled along the seafront.

In response, a Wessex Water spokesperson said: “Storm overflow discharges in the Wessex Water region have significantly reduced, especially near designated bathing waters where they have halved compared to the previous year, and this is down to last year’s dry weather as well as our £3 million a month investment.

“Our work has included separating rainwater from foul water; sealing parts of the sewer network to prevent groundwater overwhelming sewers; installing storm tanks to increase capacity; nature-based solutions such as reed beds to naturally treat storm water before it’s discharged into local watercourses

“Clearly there’s more to do and we’re committed to continuing to reduce the frequency of discharges, starting with those that operate most frequently or have any environmental impact. We’re also planning to go even further and, if approved by our regulators, will invest more than £9 million per month from 2025.”