South West Water pollution - Angela's story

Exmouth resident Angela Ashwin has swum in the sea all year round since 2014. Swimming in the sea has helped her to manage a long-term health condition for years.   

Since 2020, Angela says that she has seen a significant deterioration in the water quality in Exmouth. However, she kept on swimming in the sea, when there was a pollution alert in place, until July 2024 when she became severely unwell after going swimming during a sewage discharge. Since that incident, she is much more cautious and only swims when there are no sewage alerts in place.   

Angela said:   

"I moved to Exmouth with my husband in 2000 because I loved visiting the beach so much. I thought it was such a special and beautiful place.   

“When we started seeing all the sewage alerts, that was a huge shock to us. It's not just a hobby - it's a health necessity. It helps me manage my health conditions and it's a way of connecting with nature, the endless sea, seeing the sun rising.  

“The pollution has been so relentless, many people have stopped going to the beach. Swimmers, sailors, even people going on walks. It is a very painful process seeing the community shrink.   

"The sewage discharges in January must have lasted days - it feels non-stop.   

"I feel I have been very affected. The beach had been one of the biggest beauties in the area and now no one wants to go there anymore, and people talk about moving away. It feels like it has been taken away from us. We feel helpless, we just don't dare go into the water anymore.  

"It's a violation of nature in such a beautiful place - it was beautiful when I first moved here – more beautiful than any other place. But it's all destroyed now.”