Crowds of people gathered at Whitmore Bay, Barry Island, on Saturday, May 16, to protest against sewage pollution in Welsh waterways.
The demonstration was part of a nationwide day of action organised by Surfers Against Sewage, with more than 50 protests taking place across the UK, including six in Wales.
Campaigners at Barry Island joined calls for urgent action to improve water quality and tackle repeated sewage spills into rivers and coastal areas.
Crowds carrying placards and banners lined the beachfront throughout the day, while some protesters entered the sea.
Organisers say concern over sewage pollution continues to grow across Wales, with campaigners claiming Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water released sewage more than 100,000 times during 2025, totalling more than 813,000 hours of spills.
Elin Blakemore, who helped organise the event, said: “We have had enough of companies putting profits over our health and environment. We are proud of the Welsh coast and all the history Barry island has.
“We need the government to take serious restorative action and put our health and seas first. We are actively paying higher bills which is going towards fines Dwr Cymru pay for these illegal spills, enough is enough.”
Speeches were delivered during the protest, with campaigners urging both the Welsh and UK governments to introduce stricter regulations and stronger protections for waterways.
Commenting on the demonstration, a spokesperson for Save Cosmeston and the Vale Action Group said the group had previously campaigned against plans for an Aqua Park at Cosmeston Lakes because of concerns over water quality.
The spokesperson said: “Raw sewage is being dumped into seas, lakes and rivers on an industrial scale.”
They added: “Sewage was dumped into Welsh waterways more than 100,000 times in 2023, that’s 916,000 hours of sewage being put into our water.”
The group also criticised Welsh Water over repeated spills, claiming pollution was damaging public health, wildlife and ecosystems across Wales.
They said: “In 2025, Welsh Water was third for the most reported cases of sickness from their water in the UK. The UK has some of the worst bathing waters in Europe. Alongside this, sewage is also devastating entire ecosystems.”
Critics have also called out Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the industry regulator, as underfunded and unable to adequately protect Welsh waterways.
A recent Senedd committee echoed these concerns, warning that NRW lacked the resources needed to carry out its duties.
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