A bright yellow bath duck, bobbing along in the murky waters of Southend in the South East of England. It’s the kind of image that makes you double take. Smile. Then squirm. Because that duck shouldn't be there.
This isn’t a staged studio shot. It’s real, captured among the trash washed up or floating in the shallows. And it says everything about the state of our waters — plastic pollution, sewage leaks, environmental neglect. It’s childlike and grim, playful and damning. It’s not just a toy lost at sea. It’s a symbol of the plastic choking our coastlines.
I took this image low level, close to the incoming tide in the late afternoon light. The waves rolled in and out with a rhythmic slap, and the setting sun cast this soft golden haze. But the light can’t mask the shit beneath. This is England’s coast in 2025 — beautiful, broken, full of contrast.
Surfers Against Sewage - pollution along the English coastline!
Camera Details:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
ƒ/9.0 | 50mm | 1/500 sec | ISO 320
Handheld, natural light, shot low level with my camera almost touching the water.
The State of Southend
Southend-on-Sea, once a Victorian gem and still a favourite day-tripper destination, boasts the longest pleasure pier in the World and a stretch of Essex coastline famed for its traditional beaches and bucket-and-spade charm. But look beyond the chip shops and arcades, and you’ll see the cracks forming — quite literally — in the water.
Raw sewage, dumped by profit-hungry water companies, has turned many beaches on the Southend stretch into no-go zones after heavy rain. Since Brexit, UK waters have lost the extra environmental protections once enforced by EU directives. The result? Loopholes exploited, fines dodged, and coastlines left tainted — both physically and politically. For a look at some more of my images taken in Southend-on-Sea check out my Flickr Album - click here.
Sewage, Scandal & Standing Up
It’s not just plastic — it’s piss, poo, and profit.
UK water companies have come under increasing fire for pumping untreated sewage straight into rivers and seas, under the guise of “storm overflows.” Translation: we can’t be arsed to upgrade infrastructure, so we’ll dump the waste and cross our fingers. Southend isn’t alone — it’s just one name on a long, dirty list. The Environment Agency reports thousands of such ‘events’ — a polite term for raw shit in the sea. But people are fighting back.
Surfers Against Sewage have been on the frontline for years — a grassroots movement turned national force. What started as a small group of surfers protesting filthy waves has become a powerful environmental pressure group campaigning for clean water, plastic-free coastlines, and corporate accountability. They monitor pollution, lobby for legislative change, and educate communities — all while keeping the stoke alive.
Massive respect to them. They’re doing the hard graft — in wetsuits and wellies. Read more about Surfers Against Sewage on their website, buy some merch and if you can afford it, drop them some coin!
Environmental Irony
The image plays with contrasts — something cute and harmless drifting through a seascape that’s far from pristine. It captures the bitter truth of the modern coast: a place once full of life, now too often full of garbage. Toy ducks. Wet wipes. Condoms. Crap. Plastic bottles. All regulars in the filth-streaked theatre of Britain's beaches. More of my ocean and sea images can be viewed on my Flickr Album - click here.
Duck and Cover: Pollution, Plastics & the British Coastline!
Photography That Speaks
This is why I shoot. Not just to capture pretty moments — but to reflect the mess, the madness, and sometimes the madness within the mess. This image doesn’t scream, but it asks questions. And that’s where the power lies. As always, if you want to license or use this image, check my Getty Images collection or drop me a message directly.
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