A protest is being held against the frequent dumping of sewage into the sea.

Demonstrators will gather in front of the Mermaid Café on Mermaid Beach in Folkestone at 2pm on Sunday (October 30).

The rally is being organised by the Folkestone and Hythe Labour Party and will include an address from Catherine West, the MP for Hornsey and Wood Green.

Other speakers will include county councillor Jackie Meade and swimmer Bridget Chapman, who made national headlines in September after taking video footage of a crowded Sunny Sands Beach, closely followed by a prohibition order on swimming because of pollution levels.

Tony Vaughan, one of the organisers, said: "So many people are affected by this pollution. It's a massive issue.

"We need effective government to act to control these discharges by the water companies."

Earlier this month, there was a protest march at Whitstable after a video was posted seeming to show sewage entering the sea from the Southern Water outfall at West Beach.

Southern Water insisted the murky water was surface water run-off and not sewage.

But last year, the water company was ordered to pay a record £90 million fine for 6,971 unpermitted sewage discharges in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex, following the largest criminal investigation by the Environment Agency it its 25-year history.

The firm pleaded guilty to charges, which included dumping 21 billion litres of raw sewage into seas off the Kent coast.

The Labour Party has a policy to cut sewage discharges by 90% by 2030 by making sewage outlet monitoring mandatory, with breaches incurring an immediate and automatic fine, without recourse to lengthy and costly investigation processes.

Mr Vaughan said: "I hope everyone who is free that day will join us to make the voice of the people heard."

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: "We understand the concerns of those who are protesting in Folkestone.

"Protecting the environment is a key priority for us and we are leading the water industry in developing solutions to reduce our reliance on permitted storm overflows.

"These are the combined sewage system’s pressure valve at times of increased rainfall, to avoid flooding people’s homes and communities – but we agree that these are not an acceptable measure.

"Working in partnership with councils and other stakeholders we are finding ways to remove rainfall from the sewage network, utilising Southern Water engineering and nature based solutions. We already engage extensively with campaign groups and will continue to do that an every available opportunity.

"Southern Water's prosecution in 2021 by the Environment Agency related to historic offences which happened between 2010 and 2015. Under an entirely new management team, CEO, and with a new majority shareholder, we are focused on delivering in the here and now and for the future.”