Swimmers have been told to avoid more than 40 beaches and swimming areas across the UK after heavy rain overwhelmed the sewage system.
Several beautiful places have been hit by ‘storm sewers’, raising questions about how to allow sewage to reach public water bodies and anger at water companies.
Pollution warnings have been issued for England and Wales after months of little rain.
According to data compiled by the environmental campaign group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), England’s south-west and south coasts were the hardest hit.
Nine Sussex beaches, seven Cornish beaches, five Dorset beaches, four Devon beaches, three Isle of Wight beaches and three Essex beaches require swimmers not to wash.
Warnings are also in place for Lincolnshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, South Wales and two inland wild swimming areas near Bristol and Minehead in Somerset.
A warning was issued for Spital near Berwick, Northumberland on Tuesday but has since been lifted.
In recent years there has been growing public outrage at the amount of untreated or partially treated sewage entering Britain’s rivers and coastal waters.
SAS CEO Hugo Tagholm tweeted on Tuesday: Many beaches on the South Coast are off limits (South Water) due to sewage discharges.
An SAS spokesman said there were nine other pollution advisories unrelated to the heavy rain and urged swimmers to check online interactive maps before swimming.
In July, the Environment Agency said in a report that the sector’s performance in 2021 was “the worst we have seen in years” and that the head of the water company should face jail for the worst case of pollution, it said. .
Today, the organization added: We are monitoring the current situation and assisting local authorities as needed.
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A Southern Water spokesperson said: “Yesterday’s thunderstorms brought heavy rain which fell on dry ground and were unable to absorb surface runoff, resulting in more than usual rain covering the mains.
This has caused several overflows used to protect homes, schools, businesses and hospitals from flooding, and in parts of West Sussex, including Seaford, excess water has flowed into the sea.
“This effluent is very diluted, normally 95% is rainwater.”
The CEO of the company was forced to drink this water with a £1,000 bet.
Southern Water claims to be “dedicated to significantly reducing storm surge” and is implementing an innovative pilot plan.
Similar comments were made by the Northumbria Water Authority, with a spokesman confirming that “a brief runoff of rainwater from a storm occurred at Spital, near Berwick”.
The company has invested heavily in addressing this issue, adding that most restroom areas have good or excellent ratings, the spokesperson said. sewerage system.
Anglian Water, which supplies water to Lincolnshire and also operates sewage services in Southend, also said most of the sewage is mainly rainwater and is investing to tackle the problem.
Other water companies in areas with sewer alerts have been contacted for comment.
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Source: Metro
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