On 27th April North Devon Extinction Rebellion and HXR members held a further protest as part of their ongoing Dirty Water campaign against local pollution concerns in rivers and beaches.

The action, which took place at the River Taw, Instow Beach, Barnstaple, and River Torridge, Bideford, saw members sitting on toilets reading spoof headlines on papers highlighting the issues. This included the recent court case against South West Water who appeared before Plymouth Crown Court on 17th April this year facing 30 charges of illegal water discharge and breaches of environmental permits.

An HXR member was dressed as a cow to highlight a report from the Environment Agency’ North Devon Priority Focus Area 2022 where inspectors found 2/3 inspected local cattle farms were causing pollution despite most having Red Tractor Status.

The Guardian, April 2024: Most UK dairy farms ignoring pollution rules as manure spews into rivers