Numbers of protestors are expected to soar at this years Paddle Out Protest in Pembrokeshire which takes place on Broad Haven beach this Saturday (MAy 17) due to a severe sewage spill in the local primary school and consistently high E. coli figures - four times the legal limit entering the sea causing a serious threat to health.

Local and regional residents, visitors and holiday home owners who use the beach and water are in fear as a new 76 house housing development threatens to cause exacerbate the conditions because Dŵr Cymru refuse to install sufficient sewage capacity to meet the expected new demand, campiagners from Pembrokeshire Water Protectors have stated.

“Whilst Dŵr Cymru is not for profit the directors are on huge salaries and the company is amongst the worst performing in the UK,” said a spokesperson for Pembrokeshire Water Protectors.

“Pembrokeshire County Council have admitted that Walton West, the local sewage station is failing and cannot cope with the current capacity.

“The legal ‘poor quality for bathing’ bacterial levels in the UK are 900 cfu, the bacterial levels in the two streams crossing the beach and entering the sea are being registered at 2400 cfu and 4900 cfu, up to 5 times the legal limit, with 100s of children unknowingly playing in the streams, filling their buckets and building dams, completely unaware of the danger to their health.

“This is not acceptable for a blue flag beach! Many swimmers and surfers having to take time off work due to gastrointestinal upsets and this has been passed within families to children.

“This beach alone is used by hundreds of people from children, swimmers, surfers, paddleboards, kayakers, dog owners, visitors and people have a legal right to use the water safely.”

With planning permission currently under consultation for 76 new houses in Broad Haven, residents are said to be scrambling to object before May 19 to ensure the development does not go ahead until suitable provision is made for the extra sewage, as the proposed plans for new pumps and storage tanks will not mitigate the fact that the actual treatment works cannot cope already and more scenes like the local primary school can be expected more frequently, when the pipe from the station broke under the school playground recently, ruining £1,000s of new play equipment it was a serious risk to health and this is without the new housing development.

Pembrokeshire County Council have objected to the housing application based on the Pollution Control Team's assessment that ASBRI have not included enough info on how their sewerage improvements will address public health and environmental concerns.

NRW, though, are much clearer stating that they require increased treatment capacity, however this may not stop the housing development going ahead without adequate provision to protect the village.

A local resident said: “We welcome new homes into the area to give local people the opportunity to stay in the area and it will support the local school in terms of numbers but it just needs to be done logically and this requires Dŵr Cymru to finally take up their responsibility for installing an up to date sewerage system that can meet the existing and proposed demands on the sewerage system, it’s not rocket science and yet again greed is causing the problem.”

The Paddle Out Protest is expected to draw hundreds of protestors, with residents, surfers, families, and environmental advocates gathering on Broad Haven beach this Saturday to fight for their rights to clean and safe water.

This year Broad Haven is actually one of the Wales’ flagship Paddle-Out Protest, organized by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) and it will have three well known speakers taking about the devastating impacts on the local marine life, biodiversity, people who just want to enjoy the beach.

This demonstration is part of a nationwide campaign demanding urgent action to end sewage pollution in UK waters and is a Call to Action for everyone who cares about this issue as the protest aligns with the final deliberations of the Independent Water Commission, set to report this summer and highlight to ministers writing their manifestos that this issue really matters to people.

If you would like to attend the event, head to Broad Haven beach for 2.30pm.

· 12pm: Placard-making workshop at Rwts (formerly Sunshine Italian) on the seafront.

· 1.30pm: Community beach clean-up.

· 2.30pm: The Paddle-Out Protest begins, featuring speeches from environmental experts and SAS representatives before all entering the water together to protest.

· 4pm onwards: After event at Rwts with live music, DJ sets, and refreshments.

“We’re urging every single person who cares about the water to come and join us on May 17,” said Ella Staden, local SAS representative.

“This is a great opportunity to make it crystal clear to the government that we won’t stand it anymore.”