If you watched Channel 4's Dirty Business this week, you'll have seen the human stories behind Britain's sewage crisis. Not just the statistics-585,000 recorded spills in 2024, once every 54 seconds-but the lives changed by polluted water.
Reuben Santer, a devoted surfer who moved to Exeter to pursue his passion, developed Ménière's disease after surfing in sewage-polluted waters off north Devon. Vertigo, hearing loss, chronic balance problems. He had to quit work and give up the hobby he loved. Suzi Finlayson, a cold-water swimmer, nearly died from endocarditis after a Boxing Day swim. Sophie Hellyer, former British junior surfing champion, spent months recovering from pneumonia and pleurisy after inhaling polluted seawater.
Surfing wasn't just a hobby for me-it shaped my work, where I lived, who I was. Developing a chronic health condition from doing what I love has changed my life. - Reuben Santer, featured in Dirty Business
Why This Hits Close to Home
For wingers, windsurfers and surfers, the sea isn't a backdrop. It's where we find fun, adrenaline rush, meditation, community and a sense of identity. The idea that a session could leave you with a life-changing illness isn't abstract-it's the reality that Reuben, Suzi and Sophie now live with.
As The Guardian reported, Dirty Business tells the story of two ordinary people who noticed fish dying in their local river and refused to look away. What they uncovered-negligence, illegal pollution, corporate indifference-should never have been tolerated. Yet it has been, for decades.
The System That Failed Us
Since water privatisation in England and Wales, companies have paid out billions in dividends while infrastructure has crumbled. Sewage dumping is now routine. Pollution alerts are something water users have to check as carefully as tide charts.
This isn't bad luck. It's the predictable outcome of a system where monopoly providers prioritise shareholder payouts over public health. Recent reforms barely scratch the surface. Even where investment is finally mandated, customers are paying through higher bills to fix decades of underinvestment they didn't cause.
What You Can Do
If you're angry after watching Dirty Business, you're not alone. Surfers Against Sewage are demanding the government ends the privatised water industry and puts public health first. Sign their petition to demand water companies are restructured and the profit motive removed.
And in the meantime? Empower yourself with the tools to know whether it's safe to get in the water. We built water quality monitoring into KnotNow because we believe you deserve to see sewage alerts alongside your wind and tide forecast-not buried in a separate app. Check before you rig up.
Dirty Business is available to stream on Channel 4. The Fountain of Filth installation ran at London's South Bank 23–25 February.