A striking giant sand drawing of Prime Minister Andy Burnham appeared on Burnham‑On‑Sea beach on Monday (August 24th), created to draw national attention to the UK‑wide sewage crisis.
The artwork, carved into the sand by artists Sand In Your Eye, shows the Prime Minister’s face alongside the message “Burnham‑on‑Sewage?! Time to turn the tide, Andy.”
The design took around two hours to complete and is intended to be seen from above before it naturally washes away with the tide.
Campaign group 38 Degrees, which commissioned the piece, is calling on the Prime Minister to bring water companies back into public ownership.
The group says 144,442 people have signed its petition backing the demand. Public polling carried out for the organisation as Andy Burnham took office found that 57% of people want water companies returned to public ownership with profits reinvested into infrastructure, while just 8% support keeping the current private system.
A spokesperson for 38 Degrees says the artwork is aimed at highlighting the national sewage crisis rather than commenting on Burnham‑On‑Sea itself.
The town was chosen purely because it shares the Prime Minister’s surname, making the message “hard to miss,” it adds.
Veronica Hawking, Campaigns Director at 38 Degrees, said: “The public are quite rightly furious about the state of this country’s water industry. Every year our bills go up, while the companies taking our money pump sewage into our rivers and seas and hand out millions to shareholders. Enough is enough.”
“That’s why, ahead of the bank holiday weekend, when our British seasides are at their busiest, we’ve carved the Prime Minister’s face into the sand at his namesake town, Burnham-On-Sea.”
“This artwork which was paid for by members of the public chipping in a few pounds each, and carries the message of the 144,442 people who have signed our petition sends a message to the PM that he can’t miss: bring water back into public ownership now!”
An Environment Agency spokesperson told Burnham‑On‑Sea.com that the organisation is working closely with Wessex Water to improve water quality in the area.
They say nature‑based treatment trials are underway at selected storm overflows to reduce environmental harm, and investigations continue into overflows that frequently spill to determine what improvements are required.
Burnham‑On‑Sea was de‑designated as a bathing water in 2020.
The spokesperson explained that the beach’s location at the mouth of the River Parrett estuary means water quality is influenced by a wide catchment area, including agricultural runoff, private wastewater systems and wildlife. Despite significant investment and mitigation work, it has not been possible to eliminate all sources of contamination.
The sand artwork was visible until the tide removed it.
