A CALSTOCK parish councillor has put a callout to villagers to help her survey the number of people using the river Tamar over the summer months to in a bid to secure Designated Bathing Water status for Calstock waterfront.

Calstock Independent Green parish councillor Sophie Westwood, who lives by the river, says she and other residents are increasingly concerned about sewage in the water where their children swim on hot days.

She is spearheading an application to the Environment Agency, which will be submitted in October, to make a case that the waterfront at Calstock is a popular swmming spot. This will flag up that the river is used frequently by local people, for swimming, boating and enjoying the river.

If the river then gains Designated Bathing Water status – that it is a bathing spot used reguarly – it will be treated like popular beaches in that incidents of sewage pollution, from the nearby sewage works, would have to be published by the Environment Agency.

‘If enough people use the water for bathing purposes we get bathing water status which means the Environement Agency has to test the water throughout the season and publish the results,’ said Sophie.

‘If there is a sewage discharge at the sewage works then obviously that would be published.’

‘We wanted to do this so we can try and get the water properly monitored and make sure it is clean and safe for swimming.’

She added: ‘Through Covid, the use of the river has rocketed. My children and lots of other children are jumping off the pontoon on a hot day and swimming in the river. We have also got lots of kayakers too who usually end up in the water.’

She said they were concerned because there were often discharges from the sewage works along the river.

‘As a village we live so close to the water and we use the river so much and our children use the river so much we want that transparency, to know when there are pollution incidents.

‘The river is being used as an open sewer. This is a route we can use to do something about it.’

She added that they had the support of Surfers Against Sewage and she is also speaking to MP Sheryll Murray about the situation.

For the survey, people are being asked to count swimmers and other riverbank and water users, picking times when they are likely to be busy, high tides and warm days.

The quay is a key place as this is where children swim from the pontoon. Paddleboarders, kayakers and canoeists and people on boats large and small and be spotted here.

People are also being asked to note the number of people walking along the path and over the new bridge up towards the sewage works. A rota is being drawn up to cover all times.

Another councillor, Alex Polglase is working with the Westcountry Rivers Trust to take samples of the river water to assess the quality.

Find out more from [email protected]. You can also view the rota at calstockparishcouncil.gov.uk.