Surfers Against Sewage said the irony was certainly not lost on them
A festive event aimed to highlight the sewage pollution in our seas had to be called - because of sewage pollution.
The Santas Against Sewage swimming event organised by St Agnes-based Surfers Against Sewage at Gyllyngvase beach in Falmouth remained firmly a land-based affair after utility company South West Water (SWW) released storm discharge into the sea.
On Friday (December 5) the organisers said the weekend event had been organised to raise awareness of water quality but had to be called off because of the pollution.
A spokesperson for the group said: "Unfortunately we were unable to get in the sea due to South West Water dumping sewage! The irony was not lost on us.
"We decided to go ahead with the protest anyway and gathered a lovely little group on the shoreline to demand that SWW clean up their act."
South West Water (SWW) said recent heavy rainfall had caused storm overflows in Queen Mary Gardens to activate, external "in line with their permits".
Falmouth University students Jasmine Boniface, 20, and Verity Jones, 21, had planned to take part in the Santa swim but instead joined protesters on the beach.
Ms Boniface told the BBC: "We were planning to get in the sea and stand up for the fact that lots of people use the water and we need to be able to show how we feel about the pumping of loads and loads of sewage into it and making it unsafe.
"The fact we find out we can't even get in the water for the protest is so ironic."
Ms Jones agreed and said: "It really just proves the point of why we're here. It's awful and it's shocking but at the same time no one is really shocked because that's why we're here."
Parts of Cornwall were on storm alert over the weekend as six-metre waves and 60mph gusts battered the coast. Stormy weather and heavy rain usually lead to sewage overflow outlets to work over time and discharge sewage into streams and the ocean.
In July the Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) proposed a £24m enforcement package for SWW after an investigation into its failures in managing wastewater treatment works and sewer networks.
SWW says it is serious about reducing pollution and about investment in infrastructure. In October the water company reported a 76 per cent reduction in storm overflow spills at its St Cleer Sewage Treatment Works near Liskeard, following the installation of a stainless steel storm tank.
SWW said it has started the installation of a similar storm water storage tank beneath the Gyllyngvase Beach car park which it said will increase the sewers' capacity and "significantly reduce" the use of storm overflows.
The firm said: "We are serious about reducing the use of storm overflows but change of this scale takes time, ambition and increased investment."
SAS campaigner Jess Morris who organised the event at Gylly beach said the investment was good but not enough and not fast enough.