The mother of an eight-year-old girl who died after contracting E. coli on a Devon beach in 1999 is calling for a meeting with the Prime Minister, as a new Channel 4 drama highlights the ongoing sewage crisis. Julie Maughan's daughter, Heather Preen, fell ill after playing in contaminated water at Dawlish Warren and died within a fortnight. The family's tragedy is featured in 'Dirty Business', a three-part factual drama that exposes the scale of raw sewage dumping by water companies.
Maughan said her family was devastated by Heather's death, which she described as 'a bomb going off'. She separated from Heather's father, Mark Preen, who later took his own life. Despite the severity of the incident, Maughan felt that few questions were raised and no one took responsibility. 'It felt as if Heather didn't matter,' she said. Now, she is demanding a meeting with the Prime Minister to ensure that water companies are held accountable for the pollution that continues to affect beaches and rivers.
The drama, which airs on Channel 4, uses actors and real footage to show how raw sewage dumps have become routine since the privatisation of the water industry in 1989. It features 'sewage sleuths' Peter Hammond and Ash Smith, who uncovered industrial-scale dumping using hidden cameras and AI. The programme aims to spark public outrage similar to the Horizon scandal, highlighting that in 2024 alone, water companies discharged raw sewage for 3.61 million hours.
Maughan recalled the day Heather fell ill during a family holiday. While walking along the beach, Heather stepped into a pipe discharging water that contained toilet paper. Despite washing her in the sea, Heather later developed explosive diarrhoea and died shortly after. Maughan said she now knows that the 'Blue Flag' status of the beach did not guarantee safety. She hopes the drama will lead to change and that her daughter's death will not be forgotten.
