Work began on land off Betteras Hill Road, near Hillam, west of Selby, at around 4.45pm last Friday.

Over the weekend, HGVs delivered tonnes of hardcore and building materials, while heavy earth-moving machinery was brought onto the land.

READ MORE: Traveller site set up in North Yorkshire ‘without permission’

Aerial photographs show at least 14 caravans now on the site, parts of which have been covered with hardcore and surrounded by fencing.

North Yorkshire councillor Tim Grogan, who represents Monk Fryston and South Milford, visited the site on Saturday and said Travellers had arrived “on a military scale” shortly before council offices closed for the weekend.

He understands seven pitches were being created for extended families, with two or three caravans on each.

He said: “The speed at which 30 to 40 individuals were working was astonishing.

“They were in diggers, they were in road rollers.

“They were all working like hell, putting fences up, drilling holes etc.

“The site is now covered in tonnes and tonnes of hardcore.”

The Traveller site near Hillam (Image: Contributed)

Cllr Grogan said locals were first alerted to work taking place on the site when drivers of delivery vehicles, carrying septic tanks and wood, asked for directions to the site which is down a single-track road.

The Reform councillor said he had warned North Yorkshire Council several weeks ago that the land might be used for a Traveller site and contacted officers again when materials began arriving and when work started on Friday.

He said residents of Hillam and surrounding villages were furious at what had happened and believed the council should have intervened sooner by issuing an emergency enforcement notice.

“Everybody to a man is furious about what has happened, and 90 per cent of people feel like they have been let down by North Yorkshire Council,” he said.

“Villages feel betrayed and they feel helpless.”

North Yorkshire Council did serve a temporary stop notice on Monday, although Cllr Grogan claimed this was “totally and utterly ignored” with further hardcore subsequently brought onto the land.

Martin Grainger, the council’s head of development management, said: “We are aware that a Gypsy and Traveller site has recently been set up in Hillam without planning permission.

“On Monday we served a temporary stop notice which requires work on the site to cease.

“In addition, we are actively progressing further enforcement options.”

On the criticism over the council’s response, Mr Grainger said the council must follow a formal process when dealing with possible unauthorised developments to ensure cases are properly investigated and action is taken with the right evidence and in a timeframe most likely to achieve the outcome needed.

He added: “In this instance we are satisfied that this matter has been progressed in a realistic timeframe and in line with the required procedures.

“We recognise the impact that unauthorised development can have on local communities and will always act in the interests of residents when investigating potential breaches of planning control.”

Given it’s been a fixture in British wardrobes for nearly a century, it may come as a surprise that Marks and Spencer‘s has never had a place at London Fashion Week.

But on Friday the iconic brand marked 100 years since it first launched fashion trends with its clothing collection, with a string of stars gracing the front row at the Design Museum for its first ever runway show.

Leading the pack was legendary actress Joan Collins, 93, who showed off her age-defying appearance in a chic black pencil skirt while sat in the front row.

The Dynasty icon posed in a stylish white satin blouse while she chatted to Katherine Jenkins at the event.

Katherine arrived in an elegant brown satin dress and a matching trench coat, while AJ Odudu continued her own affiliation with the brand in a grey co-ord.

On the runway itself, Lennon Gallagher showcased Marks’ famous men’s collection, with his cousin Anais watching on. 

The Dynasty icon posed in a stylish white satin blouse while she chatted to Katherine Jenkins at the event

Since brothers Noel and Liam rebuilt bridges during the Oasis reunion tour, their children have also grown closer and have been seen partying together. 

Alongside a show at London Fashion Week, M&S have unveiled a capsule collection to celebrate 100 years since they launched their first clothing range.

The legendary retailer began life as a ‘penny bazaar’ in Leeds back in 1884, but slowly expanded to open multiple stalls across the country before launching their first store in 1894.

Marks and Spencer began selling ready-made petticoats, pullovers, and underwear in 1926, and paved the way to make everyday fashion affordable to the British public on the high street.

Stuart Machin, Chief Executive at M&S, said: ‘We started selling fashion 100 years ago with our first products being everyday essentials – from poplin jumpers and pleated dresses to socks and sleepwear. 

‘We added more categories and more fashion and M&S became known for bringing style to the high street – always with brilliant quality and value.

‘Our transformation is building the business we want to be tomorrow, but it starts with our heritage: ‘Protect the magic, Modernise the rest’ means protecting what has made M&S special for 100 years and putting fantastic products at the heart of everything we do. 

‘Our first London Fashion Week collection is designed around that DNA; fashion that is stylish but wearable, made with outstanding quality and always value for money.

It was an outing for the nepo-babies, as Anais Gallagher watched on as her cousin Lennon took to the runway

On the runway itself, Lennon Gallagher showcased Marks’ famous men’s collection, with his cousin Anais watching on 

Joan teamed her elegant outfit with a dramatic grey faux fur jacket as she posed with the M&S CEO Stuart Matchin

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Joan took her seat on the front row for the show alongside renowned fashion critic and former Vogue editor Suzy Menkes

Katherine arrived in an elegant brown satin dress and a matching trench coat

AJ Odudu continued her own affiliation with the brand in a grey co-ord

Iconic model Jodie Kidd offered a glimpse of her famous figure in a cropped green bralet while posing backstage as she prepared to take to the runway

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Jodie sported the revealing bralet with a leather pencil skirt and trench coat as she took to the catwalk for the show

Lara Stone also took to the catwalk in an eye-catching cream trench coat with fun faux fur sleeves during the show

Jamie Redknapp cosied up to his wife Frida as they arrived for the fashion show together

Model David Gandy, himself an M&S collaborator, arrived for the fashion show in his own snazzy checked coat

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Ian Wright, a longtime M&S ambassador, arrived for the runway show with Melissa Holdbrook-Akposoe, also known as Melissa’s Wardrobe

Oliver Proudlock cut a sharp figure in a grey suit as he arrived for the fashion show

Ollie and his wife Emma Louise enjoyed a date day together at the fashion show

Sian Welby took a break from her radio presenting duties to head to the fashion show, joined by singer Matt Willis

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Sian was joined by her Capital Breakfast co-host Jordan North to sit on the front row

Jessie Ware cut a chic figure in an elegant white blouse and flared grey trousers

‘This is a collection built on our heritage but brought bang up to date. From our tan leather borg jacket inspired by a heritage St Michael design to our black tuxedo suit and crisp white shirt like the ones worn by Christy Turlington for M&S in the ’90s. 

‘In menswear, our dry-wax car coat, Japanese selvedge denim, heritage-check outerwear and 1980s style velvet tailoring are inspired by our archive but designed for today.’

John Lyttle, Managing Director of Fashion, Home & Beauty at M&S, said: ‘The show reflects the progress we have made, but it is not an end point. 

‘There is much more to do as we continue to invest in our stores, modernise our supply chain and strengthen our data and digital capability. 

‘Our ambition is to serve customers better, grow online profitably and build a Fashion, Home and Beauty business for the next 100 years and beyond.’

Welham Road in Norton was due to be shut for three weeks from Monday, September 21, due to gas works.

However, following a meeting with Cllr Keane Duncan, Northern Gas Networks (NGN) has confirmed only a partial closure will take place.

Cllr Duncan, who represents Norton, said concerns had been raised by residents over the closure and the diversion route.

He said: “There will now only be a partial closure while gas pipes are upgraded. One lane of Welham Road will be closed, near the Railway Club and one lane of Church Street will be closed, near the toilets.

“Access to Welham Road from the railway crossing will be maintained, while St Nicholas Street will remain open and serve as a diversion route.

“Bazley’s Lane, a single track road with structural issues, is no longer being used as the diversion route.”

Cllr Duncan said: “I thank Northern Gas Networks for meeting with me so promptly, listening to local concerns and revising their plans. This is a significantly improved proposal and will ensure disruption is minimised with safe diversion routes in place for local people to use.”

NGN, the gas distributor for the North of England, said the work will involve replacing the ageing metal pipework with new, more durable plastic pipes.

The project, which is expected to take 17 weeks to complete, has been planned in collaboration with North Yorkshire Council.

Work will begin at the junction of Welham Road and Church Street. The work will progress moving away from the railway line and continuing up Welham Road to the junction of Lakeside Way.

Engineers will also be working on St Nicholas Street, Springfield Garth, Park Road and The Avenue, which are all part of the planned upgrade.

Stewart Whitehead, Site Manager, said, that so engineers can carry out the work safely and efficiently, and to protect members of the public, some traffic management measures will be in place.

Access will be maintained for residents throughout the project and shops and businesses will be open as usual.

“We know roadworks can be frustrating, particularly for residents and businesses who rely on these roads every day, and we’re sorry for any inconvenience this essential work may cause. We’ll do everything we can to complete the project as safely and efficiently as possible, while helping to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply for people in Norton.”

For further information about the work contact NGN’s Customer Care Team on 0800 040 7766 or email: customercare@northerngas.co.uk

Cllr Duncan said: “I thank Northern Gas Networks for meeting with me so promptly, listening to local concerns and revising their plans. This is a significantly improved proposal and will ensure disruption is minimised with safe diversion routes in place for local people to use.”

Further works will take place in St Nicholas Street, Springfield Garth, Park Road and The Avenue. These will run until December but access will be maintained at all times via multiway traffic lights.

Phase one would be built next to the park and ride, but phase two could replace the site altogether

A park and ride site on the outskirts of Cambridge could be built on, new plans have revealed. The Milton park and ride on the northern fringe of Cambridge is currently a popular option for people travelling into the city, but could be replaced in years to come.

Turnstone Estates has proposed plans for a major mixed employment scheme at Milton Park – next to where the park and ride currently sits. They have also outlined a potential option to expand onto the park and ride land after raising the possibility it could close if a new busway results in it not being used anymore.

The developer has entered into an agreement with the Ely Diocesan Board of Finance (EDBF) to bring forward the planning proposals. The developer will act as EDBF’s land promotion partner, seeking planning permission for a first phase of around 350,000 sqft of employment floorspace.

The £200 million ‘Cambridge fringe’ scheme aims to address a shortage of suitable space for businesses in sectors including advanced manufacturing, mid-tech, trade counters and final-mile distribution, according to Turnstone. Located on the western side of the A10, within half a mile of Junction 33 of the A14, Milton Park is well connected to Cambridge and the wider region.

The site benefits from the existing 800-space Milton Park & Ride, with buses running every 10 minutes into Cambridge city centre. However, a potential second phase, which could provide a further 296,000 sqft of employment floorspace, could be built on the existing park and ride facility.

There are plans to introduce a Waterbeach to Cambridge busway in 2031, which would have a stop on Butt Lane, the same road as the park and ride. Turnstone say that they would only build on the park and ride site if it was “eventually considered surplus” following the opening of the new busway.

Milton Park could also provide new premises for established Cambridge businesses currently occupying sites identified for residential redevelopment, including those in the trade counter and motor trade sectors.

Tim Deacon, Director, Turnstone Estates, said: “Cambridge has a shortage of suitable space for a range of businesses that are important to the local economy, while some established occupiers are also facing pressure to relocate as existing employment sites are identified for housing.

“Milton Park offers an opportunity to address both challenges, providing modern, well-connected employment space while helping to release other sites for much-needed homes.” Mr Deacon added that the site also has the potential, subject to planning, to be delivered “relatively quickly”.

The Diocese of Ely added: “The Diocese owns a parcel of land in this area and has long been keen for it to be used for the benefit of the people of Cambridge. Many years ago, the County Council took part of the site on lease and built the Park & Ride on it. More recently, the Police & Crime Commissioner asked to buy a further part of the site for the new police station, which is due to open shortly.

“And currently, an operator is building an electric vehicle charging station on another part of the site, which will be well-placed to charge EVs using the A10 and the Park & Ride. The agreement with Turnstone Estates is a natural follow-on from this activity and will, we hope, create high-quality commercial space and jobs for the benefit of the people of Cambridge.”

For Susan Saunders, Ozempic appeared to be the answer to a problem she had spent much of her adult life trying to solve.

The 77-year-old former teacher had battled with her weight for decades, trying everything from Slimming World to Weight Watchers, and had developed type 2 diabetes in her 40s.

So when her doctor suggested the injections, Susan was delighted.

What happened next began with a side effect so commonplace that few patients would imagine it could be dangerous.

Within weeks, Susan was suffering bouts of vomiting – a well-known complication of weight-loss jabs that affects up to four in ten patients.

But in her case, it set off a chain reaction that left her seriously ill with a little-known heart condition that can, in the most severe cases, prove fatal.

At first, Susan had few problems with the injections. But as the dose was increased, she began to suffer debilitating exhaustion, nausea and vomiting.

‘It was horrid,’ she says. ‘It made me so exhausted. I would often retire to bed early and keep a bowl by my bed, ready to throw up.’

One afternoon in November 2021, the symptoms took a dramatic turn. While visiting her sister, she was hit by a violent bout of vomiting that seemed to go on and on.

‘I threw up until there was absolutely nothing left,’ she said. ‘I was throwing up pure bile.

‘I felt terrible and was utterly drained by the time it finished. I curled up on the bed in my sister’s spare room.’

The following morning, Susan woke at 5am in a panic, with pain spreading from her left shoulder into her upper arm and across her chest.

She called her doctor, who urged her to go to A&E immediately.

Hospital doctors suspected a heart attack after finding raised levels of troponins – proteins released into the bloodstream when the heart muscle is damaged.

She was transferred to a specialist cardiac hospital for further tests.

But doctors there discovered her arteries were not blocked – a typical hallmark of a heart attack – and the damage to her heart muscle did not follow the usual pattern.

‘The doctor came to my hospital bed as though a lightbulb had gone off,’ Susan said. ‘He said, “You’ve got takotsubo.”‘

Takotsubo syndrome, also known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is a potentially life-threatening condition in which the heart’s main pumping chamber suddenly weakens.

While its exact cause is unknown, experts believe a sudden surge of stress hormones, such as adrenaline, can temporarily disrupt the heart’s ability to pump properly.

Emotional stress is a well-known trigger – earning the condition its nickname, ‘broken heart syndrome’.

The main symptoms are sudden, intense chest pain and shortness of breath, meaning the condition is often mistaken for a heart attack.

Less common signs include heart palpitations, nausea and feeling faint.

And while the syndrome – which affects around 5,000 people in the UK each year, most of them postmenopausal women – is rare, it can have devastating consequences.

It causes a sudden change in the way the heart muscle contracts, reducing its ability to pump blood effectively around the body.

In severe cases, this can lead to complications including stroke, heart failure and even fatal cardiac arrest.

Susan’s doctors said her condition was likely triggered by the intense vomiting caused by the weight-loss injections, which are taken by an estimated 2.5 million Britons and work partly by suppressing appetite and making people feel fuller.

‘Takotsubo happens when a sudden flood of stress hormones like adrenaline sends the heart muscle into shock,’ Dr Oliver Guttmann, a consultant cardiologist at HCA’s Wellington Hospital in London, tells the Daily Mail.

‘Emotional shocks can cause it, but physical stress is also a common trigger.’

Severe vomiting – one of the most commonly reported side effects of the jabs – could provide just such a trigger, Dr Guttmann explains.

‘This leaves you dehydrated and low in salts like potassium, which the body responds to by pumping out adrenaline,’ he says.

‘For some people, that is enough to trigger the syndrome.’

Earlier this year, doctors at Inspira Medical Center in the US highlighted a possible link between takotsubo syndrome and weight-loss injections in a medical paper published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

They described a 56-year-old woman who developed uncontrollable vomiting and nausea after starting a high dose of Ozempic.

Tests carried out after she was admitted to hospital revealed the telltale signs of takotsubo syndrome.

The doctors warned that patients should start on the lowest appropriate dose and that potentially concerning symptoms, such as persistent vomiting, should be closely monitored as doses are increased.

Importantly, large-scale studies have found that GLP-1 receptor agonists can reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, by around 15 to 20 per cent.

However, rare case reports have raised the possibility that severe side effects from the drugs – particularly prolonged vomiting – could, in some patients, trigger acute heart problems such as takotsubo syndrome.

Writing on the social media forum Reddit, one user said the injections triggered vomiting accompanied by chest pain, heart palpitations and a rapid heartbeat.

Another described symptoms that mimicked a heart attack after taking Wegovy, which also contains semaglutide.

‘I was on the floor/doubled over/crying and considering going to the emergency room,’ they said. ‘[What] I was experiencing felt exactly like being stabbed in the chest; I thought I was having a heart attack but after calming myself down and sitting still, I felt better after approximately 14 hours.’

A separate case report, published by scientists at the University at Buffalo last year, detailed takotsubo syndrome in a woman taking tirzepatide, better known by the brand name Mounjaro.

The 44-year-old, who had bought the drug for weight loss, developed vomiting and stomach pain before being rushed to A&E.

Researchers concluded that the high dose had triggered the symptoms that led to takotsubo.

Official UK drug safety data reveal that, since 2019, there have been 443 reports of suspected cardiac reactions involving the jabs, more than 300 of them in the past two years.

Of these, 210 were classified as serious, while 14 involved a fatal outcome, according to reports logged under the Government’s Yellow Card scheme.

Yellow Card reports to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency can be submitted by patients, medical professionals and drug manufacturers.

Crucially, they do not prove that a medicine caused the reported problem – only that the person submitting the report suspected a possible link.

Dr Guttmann says certain patients may be at greater risk of takotsubo syndrome, including older people, who can be more vulnerable to dehydration.

Most sufferers make a full recovery, as Susan did, with regular monitoring and measures to reduce stress.

She quit Ozempic almost immediately after her diagnosis, but began using Mounjaro early last year, fearing she might regain the weight she had fought hard to lose.

She says the nausea has been ‘non-existent’ and she hasn’t vomited once since starting it.

The case comes amid growing scrutiny of other potential complications associated with weight-loss jabs.

Earlier this month, the Daily Mail revealed reports from patients who developed thyroid cancer and suspected their injections may have played a role.

Early safety studies found the drugs caused thyroid tumours in rodents. However, experts have not established a clear increased risk in humans.

Meanwhile, a study published this week found patients taking the drugs were 11 times more likely to suffer a potentially deadly complication during surgery than those not using them.

British experts said patients on the jabs must be warned about the risk of regurgitation – when food or fluid in the stomach travels back up towards the throat while a patient is sedated.

This can lead to pulmonary aspiration, when stomach contents enter the lungs, potentially blocking the airways and causing serious lung damage, infection and, in the most severe cases, death.

Susan urges those starting the drugs to ‘take it very slowly’.

‘Enjoy the weight loss, but stick to the minimum amount you can manage with comfort,’ she says.

‘If you do get chest pains, take yourself off to A&E immediately.’

A spokesman for Novo Nordisk, maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, said: ‘Like all medicines, treatments used for chronic conditions can have side effects, and these can vary from person to person.

‘That is why medicines should be prescribed by, and used under the supervision of, a healthcare professional, who can consider the potential benefits and risks for each individual.

‘While gastrointestinal side effects are well characterised and described in the Summary of Product Characteristics, available data do not support a causal relationship between semaglutide and takotsubo syndrome.’

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Published: 12:57 BST, 18 September 2026 | Updated: 13:07 BST, 18 September 2026

Police have released footage of two men after a 13-year-old girl was lured into a field and raped in an ‘awful attack’ in London.

Detectives are investigating after the girl reported being attacked in Bethnal Green, in the east of the city. 

Officers were alerted to the ‘awful attack’ on the youngster at around 11.30pm on Thursday, August 1, 2024.

She told police she had seen two men on Whitechapel Road, and they led her into nearby Weavers Fields where she was raped.

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She was later found by a member of the public who assisted her. 

A £10,000 reward is being offered by the independent charity Crimestoppers, for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

The victim’s parents today released a statement through the Metropolitan Police, detailing the ‘devastating’ impact of the attack.

‘Our daughter continues to live in fear for her safety and no longer feels comfortable being on her own,’ they said.

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Police have released footage of two men after a 13-year-old girl was raped in an ‘awful attack’ in London

Officers wish to identify the men after the teenager reported being raped in August 2024

‘Wherever possible, we accompany her because she simply doesn’t feel safe without us.

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‘She should be enjoying her teenage years, spending time with friends, growing in confidence and looking forward to the future. Instead, so much of that has been taken away from her as a result of this incident.

‘While we have done everything we can to support her and stay strong as a family, the impact has been devastating. This has affected all of us in ways that are difficult to put into words.

‘We are asking anyone who knows anything about what happened that night to come forward. Even the smallest piece of information could help provide answers and bring us a step closer to justice.’

Detectives have conducted extensive enquiries since 2024 which have included forensic examinations, speaking to potential witnesses and reviewing CCTV footage. 

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Detective Chief Inspector Anna Deighton, leading the investigation said: ‘This was an awful attack on a teenage girl who was targeted and subjected to sexual violence.

‘Two years on, our enquiries into this investigation are continuing. If you recognise the men in the CCTV we have released with this appeal, please come forward and speak to us.

‘If you have any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, it is vital you get in touch.

‘We are also working alongside the independent charity Crimestoppers, which is offering a reward of up to £10,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.’

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Alexa Loukas, Regional Manager for London at Crimestoppers, said: ‘The impact of this horrific crime continues to be felt by the victim and her family two years on. No young person should have to live in fear or have their sense of safety and freedom taken away from them as a result of such a devastating attack.

‘We know that someone may hold information that could help identify those responsible. No matter how insignificant it may seem, that piece of information could be crucial in helping secure justice for the victim and her family.

‘Crimestoppers is an independent charity and everyone who contacts us remains completely anonymous. We never ask for your name or any personal details. 

‘If you know something about this crime but feel unable to speak directly to the police, please come forward and tell us what you know. By speaking up anonymously, you could help bring those responsible to justice and prevent others from becoming victims.’

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Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting 01/668295/24, or to contact Crimestoppers via their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

This is a breaking news story and is being updated. 

By MARTIN ROBINSON, CHIEF REPORTER

Published: 12:35 BST, 18 September 2026 | Updated: 12:55 BST, 18 September 2026

The heartbroken family of a man who died after being attacked while making his way home from the Notting Hill Carnival have today paid tribute and revealed he was about to marry.

Thomas Jewitt, a ‘caring and kind’ man who worked in affordable housing, was set upon on the Central Line platform at Liverpool Street station and suffered serious head injuries over the bank holiday weekend. 

The 32-year-old, who had attended the so-called family day at Notting Hill Carnival, was taken to hospital in a critical condition but died three days later.

His family today expressed their disbelief that he had been ‘taken from us’ earlier this month, releasing a picture of him smiling on holiday. 

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They had been at his bedside when he passed away, months before he was due to marry.

‘We can’t believe that Tom has been taken from us. Tom was fun-loving, caring and kind. He always looked out for others and made them feel better,’ his family said in a statement.

‘He had a successful career in affordable housing, and a bright future that was taken away from him too soon. He was excited about marrying his fiancée next year.

‘Tom is deeply loved by his family, his many, many friends and his work colleagues. We will draw what strength we can from the wonderful memories we have of Tom.’

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British national Jeremiah Maximo, 38, of Barking, was previously charged with grievous bodily harm on September 1 and had been set to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court.

Following Mr Jewitt’s death, British Transport Police have said they would make an application to amend the charge, with the defendant now expected to appear in court at a later date.

Thomas Jewitt was taken to hospital in a critical condition but died three days later

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Thomas was assaulted at Liverpool Street Station (pictured) while making his way home from Notting Hill Carnival

Police rushed to reports of a ‘serious assault’ at Liverpool Street station’s Central Line platform at 10.51pm on Sunday, August 30. 

It is thought Tom attended the west London carnival’s ‘family day’ and he had been making his way from the event when he was attacked.  

The August Bank Holiday weekend marked the 60th anniversary of Notting Hill Carnival, with between one and two million revellers thought to have attended the event.

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BTP Detective Superintendent Sam Blackburn said: ‘First and foremost our thoughts are firmly with the loved ones of the young man who has sadly died. They are being supported by specially trained officers as our investigation continues.

‘We continue to appeal to anyone who saw what happened and has not yet spoken to police to come forward and assist our investigation. Any piece of information could be vital to us.’

In a previous statement, Mr Blackburn said: ‘We know the victim was travelling back from Notting Hill Carnival at the time of the incident.’

Clutching surfboards clad with slogans like “end sewage pollution” in gaffer tape, Giles Bristow – chief executive of Surfers Against Sewage – and a group of campaigners delivered their petition signed by 350,000 people to number 10 Downing Street earlier this month. Their message was simple: clean up Britain’s polluted water.

The charity has been campaigning on the issue for its entire 36-year existence. But this year, it’s been thrust into the country’s consciousness amid the extreme droughts and floods which have laid bare the extent of the issue – as well as through Channel 4’s incredibly powerful and must-watch docu-drama, Dirty Business which the charity worked on.

Dirty Business portrayed the story of Heather Preen, an eight-year-old girl who died in 1999 after contracting E. coli 0157 (the most dangerous strain) during a family holiday in Devon, following a sewage spill. Heather’s mother, Julie Maughan, has continued campaigning for cleaner water with the charity ever since and was also at Downing Street.

The petition is calling to “clean up” the government’s proposed Clean Water Bill, and to end the broken privatised ownership of our water system that’s been in place since 1989 that “pollutes for profit” and does “not prioritise the environment or our health,” Bristow tells me when we meet at Surfers Against Sewage’s offices in St Agnes, Cornwall.

Surfers Against Sewage is creating a groundswell for systemic change, with Bristow saying that for the majority of businesses “the only duty that exists is to return a reasonable profit to shareholders”.

The number of signatures show the public is increasingly unwilling to accept polluted rivers and seas as normal. “We’re firmly putting this on [prime minister] Andy Burnham‘s agenda – he cannot ignore this tidal wave of public opinion. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the people who care about this issue,” Bristow says.

This summer has also made the issue even more difficult to ignore. During July and August, Surfers Against Sewage recorded more than 43,000 hours of sewage discharges into England’s waters, including more than 2,000 hours into designated bathing waters. Water companies are only permitted to discharge untreated sewage only following heavy rainfall and storms, when the systems are overloaded – yet it’s been the hottest summer on record, with barely any rainfall.

During those months, Surfers Against Sewage also received 636 reports via its app (Safer Sea & Rivers Service, which shows water quality across the UK and is a valuable source for water users) from people who said they had become ill after swimming.

For Bristow, this is not only an environmental problem. “We’re sitting on a public health crisis,” he says.

He personally knows the risks and has regularly suffered ear and eye infections, as well as stomach bugs and skin infections after going into the water. The charity’s own data shows the effects it is having. “About 50 per cent of people are really worried about getting into our wild waters and enjoying them,” Bristow says.

His first experience of pollution dates back to the 1980s, surfing around Saunton Sands in Devon. “At that time, you would experience sanitary products in the sea around you,” Bristow says. “That happens less now because there’s screening of the pollution, but it doesn’t mean that the water quality itself is any better.” The solids may be removed, he explains, but bacteria and viruses can remain.

Bristow says one of the most frustrating aspects of the current crisis is how little is known about its full health impact of sewage in water, which isn’t helped by the fact “it’s not routine for doctors to ask if unwell people have been swimming,”. Instead, patients may just be asked what they’ve eaten, “We’re not really collecting the data centrally in public health to know the full extent of this issue,” he says.

“We’ve got to be careful because this is the underpinning of the world and the environment, the place that we live,” he says. “Our food production, our ability to exist on the planet, is very much dependent on the health of the ocean,” Bristow adds.

The charity CEO is increasingly concerned about less visible pollutants, from microplastics to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). terrifyingly known as forever chemicals. “Once they exist, and come off the product they go into our water system, they will never go away,” Bristow says, adding that they only break down after incineration.

As well as the chemicals, Bristow says microplastics are a nightmare. “We think of the plastic pollution problem as the bottles floating in the ocean, and that is a macro problem,” he adds. The smaller particles present a much harder problem to see – and therefore deal with.

Yet despite the scale of the problem, Bristow is not without hope which he finds most powerful in the people who have joined the campaign. “My hope really springs from the communities who are passionate, creative and innovative and join in their campaigning,” he says.

Bristow says the past five years have been among the charity’s most consequential, as public awareness of water pollution has grown rapidly. Part of that change came from the pandemic, when people began spending more time outdoors where people were seeing the pollution for themselves.

Since then, water bills have begun increasing and people are taking umbrage. “They’re saying ‘this is not right. I am not paying for this, I’m not going to stand for it,’” Bristow explains, adding that ultimately, it means people are no longer seeing polluted water as someone else’s problem.

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The Independent will be revealing its 2026 Climate 100 List on 20 September

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