Almost half of Brits say they would never swim in the sea - with the number rising sharply amid sewage scandal

EMBARGO: 00.01 Monday 4th August

Nearly one in two (44%) people say they would never swim in the sea during the summer, with that number rising sharply by six-percentage points in just two years, despite the Government’s new target to halve sewage spills by 2030, a shocking new poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The poll also found that less than a fifth (18%) of people say they would actually be more likely to swim in the sea if the Government meets its target of cutting spills in half.

Staggeringly, more people (19%) said even if the Government hit its target they would actually be less likely to swim in the sea with 45% of people saying they still would not swim in the sea.

People were also asked if they went swimming in the sea during the summer months and if they now would not due to sewage dumping. The poll found close to three in ten (29%) of those who said they go swimming in the sea now said they will now not do it at all due to sewage dumping. This is a rise of six percentage points from 23% in just two years, when the same poll was conducted for the Liberal Democrats in 2023.

The Liberal Democrats said the figures laid bare a “coastline crisis” with people “afraid” of enjoying the British summertime due to rampant sewage dumping. The party said that the Government would not be able to end the sewage scandal without giving the planned new regulator the power to levy serious and higher fines and holding persistent sewage dumpers criminally responsible.

Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson, Tim Farron MP said:

“This coastline crisis threatens to wreck British summers with people afraid of swimming in the sea due to rampant sewage dumping. These polluting firms have been let off the hook at every turn and it is our local environments and people’s summer holidays that are suffering the consequences.

“The Government has tried talking a good game on sewage but their targets have failed to wash with the public who expect more than a job half done. The only way to reverse the Conservatives' neglect of our waterways is for Labour to give the new regulator the powers it needs to hold these water companies accountable for the damage they are doing.

“That means allowing for serious and higher fines to be levied with persistent sewage dumpers held criminally responsible. The public will not stand for anything less.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The polling by Savanta for the Liberal Democrats can be found here. Methodology: Savanta interviewed 2,128 UK adults aged 18+ online between 25th and 28th July 2025. Data was weighted to be representative of the UK by age, sex, region, and social grade. Savanta previously interviewed 2,272 UK adults between 21st and 23rd July 2023.