Water companies in England have apologised for repeated sewage spills into rivers and the sea in 2022.
In 2022, raw sewage was pumped into England’s rivers and streams an average of 825 times a day. The Government and campaign groups have said this is far too often because it is a risk to wildlife and people’s health.
This resources pack includes an article from The Week Junior magazine, along with a sheet of activities designed to get children thinking, talking and writing about what the story means to them.
Oracy
So, the water companies have apologised and said they will spend lots of money to improve their sewage systems. Do you think that’s good enough, especially when they are going to increase customer bills to pay for some of the work?
If you were to let your dog make a mess on the pavement, you wouldn’t expect your neighbours to help pay your fine, would you? So, shouldn’t the companies be made to pay for clearing up their mess from their own profits?
Or is it unreasonable to expect them to pay it all themselves? Isn’t there a risk that their business might fail? Are some companies just too important to everyday life to be allowed to lose profits? What do you think?
Writing skills
Look up the words to the famous old song “Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside” and rewrite them in a humorous way to highlight the problem of sewage being allowed onto our beaches.
Or
Imagine you are a crab who has come to England on holiday. Write an account of your experience of visiting one of the beaches as if you were writing a review for a travel website.
Investigate
What does the Blue Flag award represent? How many Blue Flag beaches are there in the UK? How many beaches are there around the UK overall?
Find the entire series of Topical Tuesday resources to download in our Topical Tuesdays collection.
What is the Week Junior?
The Week Junior magazine looks at current affairs and helps children make sense of the world, provides context and clarity to complex issues, improves general knowledge and encourages discussion and debate.
To find out more about The Week Junior and to download its free resources, please go to The Week Junior website.