No one wanted to host the Commonwealth Games of 2022. Edmonton in Canada withdrew its bid and Durban in South Africa toyed another, but they were too skint and were stripped very early on by the Commonwealth bigwigs. This left a crisis decision to host it in England, where Liverpool and Birmingham were the only councils foolish enough to take it on. Liverpool got off lucky with the Midlands city taking on the poison chalice. The final cost of these games , including the hidden ones like heating and lighting, security and PR branding will only be made known after the two week event has finished, but it is a ludicrous waste of money and one which the area and the country cannot afford.
Into this mix comes the toxic power of large corporate entities like Severn Trent Water- a failed monopoly and serial environmental polluter. Their association with these games is why we are boycotting it and asking people to give the games a big finger locally when as we have seen, this water company have blighted the area and its pools and have killed wildlife in the process. THESE TRULY ARE THE GAMES OF THE SEWER.
It is interesting to note that local traders have recently taken to social media to decry the games and the costs lost to local businesses due to the road closures around the aquatics centre new build. For locals living off the roads, you will need a permit to park and have to endure police checkpoints to boot.
We have produced the following leaflet about Severn Trent and the true story of their real environmental performance in the region, which can be downloaded below.
A flyer has also been delivered to several local households near the aquatics centre and Smethwick Hall Park. Please consider joining our facebook page or giving it a like in support of what we are trying to do to campaign for a cleaner park environment in Sandwell’s contaminated pools and waterways.
I would like to stress that this desire is not being used as some political vehicle to ingratiate any individual down the path of political office, it is just about what is morally right, and Severn Trent and their backers are just not morally right, and their lack of interest in putting right the damage they caused is pure evil.
Sandwell’s first lady- swanderwoman decided to take to the streets in protest against this abomination. Luckily, no one challenged her hidden “baton” in her trunks, which may have excluded her from competition 😛 😆 With a trusty banner and sign, the closed off entrance to spectators was adorned with the facts of the case, with the shadow of the swimming pool looming like a constructed turd in the background.
You go girl!
And meanwhile down the road, at the scene of Severn Trent’s disgusting grime, around 400 metres as the swan flies from the aquatics centre, it seems even the games mascot appears to be on our side.
No Bull!
NB, Relevant detail from the leaflets and fact checked links.
THE COMMONWEALTH SHAMES
PRIVATE WATER COMPANY SEVERN TRENT WATER HAVE POLLUTED SMETHWICK PARKS WITH RAW SEWAGE CAUSING WILDLIFE TO DIE. THEY HAVE FAILED TO COMPENSATE SANDWELL COUNCIL OR TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR FAILURES AT SMETHWICK HALL PARK.
IT IS A DISGRACE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SELECTED AS “COMMONWEALTH GAMES CHAMPIONS FOR NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT”, WHEN THEY HAVE POISONED WILDLIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT WITH THEIR UNCONTROLLED RELEASES OF FAECES IN SANDWELL.
- SEVERN TRENT HAVE BEEN FINED MILLIONS OF POUNDS FOR RAW SEWAGE POLLUTION IN THE LAST TEN YEARS.
- IN 2020 THEY DUMPED OVER 64 YEARS OF SEWAGE INTO RIVERS AND STREAMS.
- THEIR CEO, LIV GARFIELD MAKES OVER £2.5 MILLION A YEAR FOR THESE FAILURES.
- THE SANDWELL AQUATICS CENTRE HAS COST *OVER £100 MILLION AND IS JUST 400 METRES FROM THE POLLUTED PARK THAT HAS NOT BEEN CLEANED UP.
*SMBC claim “£73 million” , though the games organisers have yet to reveal the true costs like heating/lighting/security/PR materials etc associated with this building, or if the conversion of the building after the two week event includes this £73 million figure, £13 million more than originally budgeted for.
Severn Trent Water account for over a quarter of the most series pollution incidents in the Midlands County areas.
Source- Environment Agency