A giant inflatable model of the E-coli bacteria joined dozens of campaigners in Bristol protesting about the cleanliness of rivers and seas around the West Country today. The huge model, created by Bristol artist Luke Jerram, was installed at Baltic Wharf as crowds took to the water to call on the authorities to do more to prevent sewage pollution in the UK. It was part of nationwide protests across the country from Cornwall to Scotland. Surfers Against Sewage organised the Paddle-Out Protests, encouraging people to turn up on paddleboards, kayaks and canoes. Surfers Against Sewage’s Bristol spokesperson Anna Steele-Perkins said is was growing public anger over sewage dumping, environmental damage and rising water bills in Britain. “Profit always comes before people and nature. It’s inhumane and I’ve had enough,” she said. “Whether you’re a surfer, paddle-boarder, wild swimmer, or are simply sick of rising water bills, we gathered to demand an end to sewage being dumped into our precious waterways,” she added. Surfers Against Sewage’s research found that more than 1,200 people reported illness after …