Protesters have unveiled a giant satirical "blue plaque" in Bristol city centre, accompanied by a flotilla of inflatable poo, dead fish and other pollutants. The Dirty Water campaign returned to the city on Friday (March 17) in a bid to "draw attention to the alarming levels of untreated sewage, agricultural pollution and industrial waste that are routinely poured into our rivers and coastal waters".
Members of Extinction Rebellion, local health professionals, a group of cold water synchronised swimmers and samba drummers congregated on the cascade steps near Bristol Harbour at 10am to hear speeches and watch Bristol Green Party leader Emma Edwards unveil the plaque. The group says they decorated the cascade steps "with various representations of pollution" before heading out to talk to the public.
The plaque states:
THE UK GOVERNMENT - Extended the deadline for all of our rivers and coastal waters to achieve ‘good’ ecological and chemical status by almost 40 years (from 2027 to 2063)
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Daniel Juniper, 27, from Bedminster, said: "We’ve watched in horror as our rivers and seas have become open sewers since October 2021, when the government voted down a proposal to stop water companies pumping waste directly into our rivers and seas. They justified this by claiming that the proposal was too expensive. These plaques shine a light on the government’s failure to protect our waterways, the natural world, and all of us."
This is the second day of action undertaken by Dirty Water Bristol. The group began its campaign in January through affixing blue plaques along the River Avon near Conham River Park, around the Harbour and along the River Frome. Dirty Water is a national campaign with actions taking place all around the country, including recently at the headquarters of Thames Water and Southern Water.
Campaigner Etienne Stott, Olympic Gold Medal canoeist, added: "It’s disgusting, literally, to think what’s being pumped into our rivers. The Government and the water companies aren’t going to clean up unless ordinary people put pressure on them.
"Extinction Rebellion can’t do this alone. We need everyone who cares about our rivers and seas to stand up with us and speak out. Today is just the first part of a bigger campaign to protect nature and our waterways. More actions will be taking place over the coming months."
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