Residents and holidaymakers in Southend were treated to some ice cream with a shocking twist as "poo-covered sundaes" were handed out at the seafront. In a tongue-in-cheek protest against the amount of sewage being dumped across the coastline, campaign group 38 Degrees carried out the stunt in Southend on Tuesday (June 18). The group say water companies and the UK government are dumping vast quantities of raw sewage in the sea across the country's coastline, putting the beloved traditions of the Great British Seaside "at risk" and leaving people "too disgusted to swim in the sea".
The group carried out a poll with Survation which stated 66 per cent of Brits believe the sea is too dirty to swim in, but rates are higher in many popular seaside hotspots, including Southend - constituency figures show 77 per cent of people in Southend West and Leigh would say the water in British seas is not clean enough to swim in, while 73 per cent of people in Southend East and Rochford say the same. Read more: Essex primary school turns old red double-decker bus into extra classroom Read more: The Essex town riddled with hidden underground tunnels connecting pubs, hotels and a church The ice cream van on Tuesday served "sewage sundaes" - which were edible and did not contain real sewage, including ice creams edible for dogs. With the general election campaign in full swing, the campaign group is using its sewage ice cream van tour to demand all political parties nationally commit to measures .