SAS are 'risking their lives' at Pease Bay
A GROUP of surfers are battling to overturn a decision which means they are putting their lives at risk every time they take to their boards in Berwickshire.
Members of Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) took to the sands at Pease Bay to warn waveriders of the potential increased health risk following Scottish Water's plan to reduce the level of their sewage treatment from Wednesday.
The company's treatment works are housed at nearby Cove and they are permitted to reduce levels of sewage treatment from full tertiary treatment to secondary treatment once Scotland's bathing season has come to an end, but surfers say that this could increase the likelihood of them contracting diseases such as Hepatitis A.
They see Pease Bay as "a jewel in Scotland's surfing crown," and estimate that they will use the sea there 4,206 times between now and May 15 next year.
Surfing conditions are best at the Bay during this period but with a huge increase of potentially harmful pathogens set to enter the sea as a result of Scottish Water's downgrading, enthusiasts are worried they could be endangering themselves when they surf at the beauty spot during the winter.
They are calling on Scottish Ministers to recommend to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency that Scottish Water keep their treatment at Cove at a tertiary level whilst an indepth survey of recreational water usage at Pease Bay outside the bathing season is undertaken.
SAS campaign manager, Andy Cummins, said Pease Bay offered surfers the best wave along the east coast but surfers shouldn't be risking their health every time they want to try it.
"Scottish Water's decision to downgrade their sewage treatment is massively increasing the risk of infection for surfers in Pease Bay.
"I've spoken to a few surfers who said they will think twice about returning over the winter months because of this.
"But there are many who will still surf at Pease Bay because it is a jewel in Scotland's surfing crown, the water picks up a lot of swell and it really is the best wave along the east coast.
"What's more is that it's not just the surfers who benefit from Pease Bay. They come from all over the country all year round and boost the local economy.
"A lack of surfers would have a big impact on associated businesses."
Last month, SAS conducted a straw poll in the local waveriding community and 200 surfers committed to using the sea at Pease between now and next summer.
But the health risks associated with bathing in sewage polluted waters include acute diarrhoea, paralysis, mild or influenzal typhodial illness and respiratory disease.
Results published by SEPA earlier this week rated the water quality at Pease Bay in the early part of the summer as 'excellent', a result matched by both Coldingham and Eyemouth, the latter for the first time.
And SAS Edinburgh representative, Alasdair Steele, said it was shocking that surfing waters in Scotland weren't given the same treatment as those in England and Wales, where robust sewage treatment is in place all year round.
He commented: "Surfers are afforded greater protection in other parts of the UK which is frustrating as we want places in Scotland, such as Pease Bay, to be clean, enviornmentally friendly locations.
"The water quality in the Bay is fantastic over the summer and it should be the same over the winter. It seems like common sense to us.
"To get the sewage treatment back to tertiary we need to prove that the sea is still well used over the winter months and this shouldn't be a problem.
"I have been surfing at Pease Bay for 10 years now and even in the winter when the water temperature is below zero degrees there are still at least 20 people in the water.
"The difficult thing is collating all the information. We hope that by monitoring the situation, SEPA will see that many people still surf at Pease over the winter.
For the full story see this week's Berwickshire News
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Weather for Duns
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 5 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North east
