Did polluted water cause my incurable illness? A surfer’s story

A shocking new Channel 4 drama, Dirty Business, exposes England’s water-company scandal. This is surfer Reuben Santer’s story

Before contracting the incurable disease that would change his life, Reuben Santer was dedicated to surfing, chasing waves at beaches all around the UK.

“I moved to Exeter from the south-east in 2021 specifically for the surfing,” says Santer, 35. “I’d finish my teaching job then drive for up to 90 minutes to reach the perfect spot. Back then, I gave more thought to the surf than to sewage – I had no idea how big a risk I was taking.”

Santer is one of the real people whose lives are portrayed in Dirty Business, a three-part factual drama that follows a decade-long investigation into England’s water companies, which helped to uncover one of the biggest corporate scandals in British history.

Starring David Thewlis and Jason Watkins, the Channel 4 show also depicts the stories of some of the whistleblowers and other people who believe their lives have been destroyed after entering polluted water around England’s coastlines.

“Before I fell ill, I was aware of the pollution issue in our area,” says Santer, who lives in Devon with his partner and their two-year-old daughter. “Two of my nearest beaches are Exmouth, which is known for being very polluted – you can literally smell it, and Dawlish which is also affected at times.

“I’d check the pollution levels on the Surfers Against Sewage app before going into the sea, and would rarely go in if levels were high. But if there were really good waves, I’d sometimes decide to surf anyway.”

In October 2022, the big waves created by a recent storm drew Santer to the beach at Saunton Sands in north Devon.

Although Santer was aware that some sewage systems release waste water into the sea during periods of heavy rainfall, a two-month break from surfing caused by an ear infection encouraged him to ignore the risks.

“I remember smelling the pollution in the water as I surfed, but I told myself I’d probably be fine – you never think something bad is going to happen to you,” Santer says. “But the following evening, I had a really severe attack of vertigo. I couldn’t even stand up, because everything was spinning.

“I’d experienced ear infections in the past, but nothing like this. I was worried I’d had a haemorrhage of some kind, so we called an emergency GP.”

Diagnosed with labyrinthitis, an inner-ear infection, Santer was advised to wait for his symptoms to pass.

“I’m pretty resilient, so I thought I’d get through it,” he says. “But after a week of dizziness I tried to go back to work, and just couldn’t do it – I kept vomiting. The tinnitus I suffer from also got a lot worse, and my balance was all over the place.”

Over the following four months, with his condition worsening while on the waiting list for more tests, Santer paid for a private appointment with a consultant.

“I’d been reading up about Ménière’s disease, which has similar symptoms to mine,” he says. “It sounded scary: there’s no cure, it can be progressive, and the symptoms – vertigo, hearing loss and vomiting – are debilitating. The quality of life associated with it is also pretty poor, so I was devastated when the doctor confirmed my worst fears.

“He told me that sewage in the water where I’d surfed could have caused the disease – although there was no way of knowing for sure.”

A range of treatment from diet modifications to medication and steroid injections provided only temporary relief from his symptoms, so Santer was left virtually housebound, forcing him to leave his job.

“I was crawling to the loo to be sick because I couldn’t walk,” he says. “Each time I had an attack I had to relearn how to walk and to balance again. It was awful.”

In June 2025, Santer underwent surgery in an attempt to reduce the pressure building up around his ear, which has improved his symptoms – for now.

“I’ve felt much better since then, except when I try to go surfing, which makes me really ill,” he says. “I’m obviously avoiding it for now, but that’s hard to deal with because it’s always been such a big part of my life. I’m just hoping the positive effects of the surgery last.”

He’d submitted a sickness report to Surfers Against Sewage, a UK charity that campaigns for cleaner waters, which led to the producers of Dirty Business getting in touch to hear his story. With his experiences being dramatised in the new series, he hopes the UK’s water companies will be pressured to make crucial infrastructure changes that will reduce sewage pollution.

“I’m very angry, but don’t have the energy to campaign directly against the water companies,” he says. “What happened to me was incredibly unlucky, but I’m always hearing stories of other surfers falling ill, which I believe is largely down to sewage pollution. Something has to change – and hopefully I can help that happen.”

Channel 4’s factual drama Dirty Business starts Monday 23 February at 9pm, airing over three consecutive nights