Urgent warning as 63 beaches slapped with raw sewage warning after rain

03 August 2023 , 12:09

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People are being warned of sewage in the sea (Image: CORNWALL LIVE/BPM MEDIA)

Brits are being warned of sewage in the water at 63 beaches across the UK following heavy rain and flooding.

Treated sewage is regularly discharged from the sewerage system into waterways, while there are also overflows of untreated waste and storm water into rivers. With the nation having had weeks of downpours, there are many beaches up and down the UK that now have sewage warning alerts from Surfers Against Sewage.

The marine conservation charity has provided an interactive map of beaches with warning signs. The service alerts potential swimmers to instances where sewage overflow mechanisms have been opened to avoid being overwhelmed. This leads to surface run-off and household sewage being sent into the sea and waterways.

The Met Office is predicting more rain on the way over the coming days while there is a yellow warning for wind that covers south west England and Wales on Saturday, and another for showers in Northern Ireland. Brits are set to face gusts of up to 65mph during the miserable summer washout.

Scroll below to see the full list of beaches affected.

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Urgent warning as 63 beaches slapped with raw sewage warning after rain

Swimmers have been told which beaches are not safe to enter (Surfers Against Sewage)

It comes as South West Water has acknowledged "there is more to do" after a series of pictures and videos show what appears to be sewage being discharged at Harlyn Sands, Padstow. A family also complained of swimming in the "sewage" and said that warning signs were not clear before they entered the water, reported Cornwall Live.

Further videos emerged yesterday showing storm overflow gushing out and into the ocean. While filming footage, one man said: "Back of Harlyn Sands, Padstow. Raw sewage, absolutely stinks. They've been down here the last four days testing it and trying to unblock it."

Many beaches in the south west have been affected by sewage (Surfers Against Sewage)

In the video discoloured water can clearly be seen at the point of discharge into the sea. Two pictures have also been shared appearing to show toilet waste in the area. One beachgoer said on Wednesday: "I spent three hours on the phone trying to establish who triggers the lifeguards to put up the legal pollution signs.

"Yesterday and today sewage warnings online but no information at the actual beach itself. No signs in place. When asking the lifeguards about water quality I was told no calls had been made about it. "Surely the question is … to swim in poo or not to swim in poo…. ? However if intelligent people don’t know about said poo in the sea, then how can they make an informed decision? Heavy rain tonight ….. will be worse."

Heavy rain has seen more sewage spill into the waterways (Surfers Against Sewage)

A South West Water spokesperson told CornwallLive: "There has been permitted storm overflow activity at some locations in Cornwall today following heavy, localised rainfall. Storm overflows are pressure relief valves built into our network that are an essential way to stop homes and businesses from flooding during periods of heavy rainfall.

“Reducing the use of storm overflows is a priority. We know there is more to do, and that is why we are investing record levels to dramatically reduce the use of storm overflows and reduce our impact on rivers by one-third by 2025. In Harlyn Bay, we are investing up to £800,000 to March 2025 to reduce the risk of environmental impact from our sewerage network and improve bathing water quality.”

Back in April South West Water was given a £2.1million fine for pollution and dumping sewage in Cornwall.