Eco & Environment, Nature & Wildlife, Weymouth | Posted on August 13th, 2025 | return to news

Campaign to protect Weymouth’s waters

Litter Free Dorset, Dorset Council, Weymouth Harbour, and Wessex Water have joined together in a campaign to protect water quality.

The water quality at Weymouth Central Beach was downgraded from ‘excellent’ to ‘good’ in December last year. Consequently, Litter Free Dorset has launched its ‘Love Weymouth Harbour’ campaign to encourage boat owners and water users to sail, paddle, and row responsibly.

The campaign is a collaborative effort between Litter Free Dorset, Dorset Council, Weymouth Harbour, and Wessex Water and is part of a wider project to improve water quality.

As part of the campaign, a range of leaflets, posters and banners will be distributed and displayed around the harbour. These resources are designed to encourage responsible behaviour when using the harbour and highlight simple actions harbour users can take to help protect water quality.

Weymouth Harbour Master Ed Carter said: “As harbour master, I am proud to support the ‘Love Weymouth Harbour’ initiative. Our harbour is not only a vital part of our town’s heritage and economy, but also a shared space for wildlife, residents, and visitors alike. By encouraging all boat users to use onshore waste facilities, fit holding tanks, and avoid discharging into the water, we are taking essential steps to protect our marine environment.”

Bathing waters are under constant pressure from pollution, litter, and poor waste disposal practices. Everyone who uses the water has a role to play in protecting local waterways. The ‘Love Weymouth Harbour’ campaign focuses on what harbour users can do to reduce their impact and keep the harbour clean, such as:

Don’t throw anything overboard — use the waste disposal facilities provided around the harbour. Find a map of the harbour facilities on the harbour website.
Use onshore toilets — public toilets are available at several locations around the harbour. Find a map of the harbour facilities on the harbour website.
Fit a holding tank — a new pump-out station will soon be installed at Weymouth Harbour. In the meantime, tanks can be emptied at Portland Marina pump-out station on T pontoon. Visitors can contact the marina crew on 01305 866190 or via radio on VHF 80 for assistance. This facility is free to use, but pump-out station users are encouraged to make a £10 donation to the environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage.

Paul Swain, Weymouth Marina manager, said: “We’re incredibly proud that Boatfolk’s Weymouth Marina has achieved the prestigious Clean Marina accreditation this year. It’s a testament not just to our commitment to sustainable marine practices, but to our team who’ve literally rolled up their sleeves and waded through the mud to make a real difference. Protecting our waters isn’t just a responsibility, it’s a legacy, one we’re determined to leave for future generations of boaters, wildlife, and sea lovers alike.”

Litter Free Dorset will be hosting a series of pop-ups around Weymouth Harbour and Weymouth Marina over the summer to raise awareness of the campaign and engage the community in conversations about water quality. As part of this, they will be piloting a crab line hire scheme during the pop-ups, providing reusable crabbing kits for the public to test out.

They will also be attending Tumbledown Farm’s Family Fun Day on Thursday 28 August.

To learn more about the campaign and how you can help, visit Weymouth Water Quality – Litter Free Dorset.