Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes is to join protesters calling for water companies to stop pumping sewage into the sea.

Paddlers will once again take to the waters around the West Pier in Brighton on Saturday in a renewed call for more to be done to protect our waterways.

Dame Kelly will join members of Surfers Against Sewage who are also calling on the government to take action to prevent water pollution.

The Argus: Dame Kelly HolmesDame Kelly Holmes (Image: PA)

The double Olympic gold medallist athlete said: “I love nothing more than getting out into the open water on my paddleboard - it does wonders for my mental health and there's such a sense of community amongst those who use our wild waterways for sport and recreation.

“But this incredibly special pastime has been tainted for all of us by the persistent risk of getting sick from pollution.

“To see our rivers and seas being treated so appallingly by those responsible for looking after them is nothing short of a national scandal.”

The Argus: Surfers Against Sewage protesting at Brighton's West Pier last yearSurfers Against Sewage protesting at Brighton's West Pier last year (Image: Andrew Gardner | The Argus)

In last year’s protest hundreds of protesters took to the water around the West Pier in gas masks and holding placards.

A spokesman for Southern Water said it was “working hard to deliver fast-tracked improvements in our performance” by April 2025.