"Surfers against sewage" are a highly effective pressure group campaigning for clean coastal and inland water in the UK. They have done wonderful work. Perhaps typically, for a gang of anti-establishment canoeists, they present themselves as muddled lefties blaming the private water companies for polluting their clean beaches. However, reality is reaching even here. The following are some quotes from their website.

"Welsh, Wessex and Yorkshire Water have all acknowledged the advantage of full treatment by adopting a full treatment policy. They have acted beyond the requirements of legislation and invested in technologies that will protect the health of the public using the water in the vicinity of one of their outfalls.

As the inadequacies of existing legislation are exposed and deadlines specified in other legislation are nearing, SAS applaud the work of the Companies that have been forward thinking enough to be one step ahead of both legal requirements and public opinion.

"Welsh Water in particular have not only been forward thinking in terms of treatment technologies they have also fully recognised the potential of the coastline as a resource. Their recent Green Seas Initiative sees that those beaches that meet guideline standards, but do not have the land based facilities to qualify for a EC Blue Flag, are still recognised by the general public for their safe bathing waters. The Rural Beach Award can now be flown at such beaches in Wales."

"In recent years the issue of clean beaches has become a topic of household conversation. If a couple have taken their children on holiday to the South West of England, expecting white sandy beaches and clear blue ocean, but instead found a beach littered with sanitary towels, it will not be the watersports they are discussing with their friends."

"Businessmen in seaside resorts realised they were losing business as word spread about the state of their local beach. This in turn put pressure on their local councillors, on their MP's and ultimately on key decision-makers. With organisations such as SAS backing local campaigners all the way, giving support in some cases, the Government began to realise that cleanliness of beaches was an issue of great importance to the British public. That's when things started to change in the UK!"

Surf on over to their site. Read between the lines for many examples of private ownership resulting in cleaner beaches.