NORTH CORNWALL MP SCOTT MANN helped celebrate English Tourism Week this March with a visit to a Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park near Padstow.
Mr Mann was welcomed to the family-owned business by managing director Patrick Langmaid and his son David, plus members of the Mother Ivey’s Bay team.
On a tour of the grounds of the multi-award winning park, Mr Langmaid told the MP of his belief in the importance of clean and safe bathing waters for guests and the local community.
Under discussion was the Government’s recently launched Plan for Water initiative involving further investment, strengthened regulations, and stricter enforcement to address water quality concerns.
Locally, this will translate into substantial improvements to three waste water treatment works along the River Camel area, including investments of up to £7.3 million by 2025 and a total of £17.5 million by 2030.
“It’s good to hear about this new investment,” Patrick said. “However, it is imperative that water companies monitor results, and that they make further investment if pollution persists”.
Patrick shared with the MP plans to launch a park app in the spring which will offer their guests a features including a link to the Surfers Against Sewage website which gives real-time updates on local water quality and environmental alerts.
Patrick’s son David, who recently joined the business, said: “Like all reputable holiday parks, we make regular safety checks, and this new commitment to sharing data on water quality with our guests is another way to help keep them safe.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Surfers Against Sewage to bring this enhanced level of safety to our holiday park,” he added.
Mr Mann commented: ”Businesses and people in North Cornwall want to maintain our outstanding blue flag beach status and hold water companies to account to maintain and improve our water quality.
“That’s why I’m proud to have passed our world-leading Environment Act in 2021, which will improve our bathing water cleanliness year on year. We already have some of the best water quality in the UK and I want us to lead again,” said Mr Mann.
Patrick said he believes the impact of climate change on weather patterns is increasingly evident, leading to more frequent extreme weather events affecting our waters:
“It’s therefore imperative that the water industry invests in infrastructure to manage these events effectively, thereby improving sea water quality.
“Sadly, under-investment in infrastructure has resulted in the water industry becoming a massive man-made threat to the tourism and hospitality sector.
“Over the past decade, Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park has supported many local charities, including the wonderful team at St Merryn Beach Guardians, in their efforts to combat plastic waste pollution in the seas,” said Patrick.
Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park offers holiday caravans, both for private ownership and hire, along with touring pitches. Further information about the park can be found at www.motheriveysbay.com.