Beaches in East Sussex have been shut down after untreated sewage was pumped into the sea by water companies.
Beaches in Bexhill and Normans Bay were shut down after Southern Water experienced a ‘significant’ electrical problem at a pumping station in Galley Hill, which sent untreated sewage into the sea.
The water, including raw sewage, was released when the primary power supply and backup system at the station went out on Wednesday.
The nearby Hastings Borough Council also warned people not to swim at Pelham Beach due to the risk of pollution.
Swimmers in East Sussex are demanding that water company bosses be held accountable.
Juliette Wills, who is part of the Bexhill Seagals swimming group, said the release of sewage into the sea will affect both her mental and physical health.
She told the BBC that swimming was more than a ‘splash’ and helps her to live with her disability.
She said, “It’s unbelievable and outrageous that the drinking water companies can just get away with this.”
A video posted on Twitter revealed the extent of the raw water being released on East Sussex beach. Turbid, gray water can flow into the sea. Bexhill and Normans Bay are closed by Rother District Council until further notice
Ms Wills adds that the water company ‘must be held accountable’.
A video posted on Twitter shows the untreated, cloudy gray liquid flowing quickly from a pipe on the beach straight into the sea.
Hugo Tagholm, head of Surfers Against Sewage, accused water companies of “environmental vandalism.”
A Southern Water van at Bexhill-on-sea where the raw sewage was pumped to the beach. Bexhill beach and Normans Bay will remain closed until further notice
He told the BBC: ‘Water utilities have moved from extreme drought to extreme sewer pollution.
‘Years of underinvestment are now in sight. It is time for huge profits from the water company to be used for proper management of water and sewerage, and the protection of people and the planet.
“Our rivers and beaches should not be exposed to this kind of industrial environmental vandalism.”
Hugo Tagholm, head of Surfers Against Sewage, accused water companies of “environmental vandalism.” Others called for water companies to ‘hold accountable’
Politicians are also calling for a plan to end the discharges – MPs across Sussex have written Southern Water and the Environment Agency demanding that the county’s coastline and waterways be “respected and protected”.
The letter, dated 18 August, read: ‘Once again, the rivers and coastline of Sussex are being devastated by the discharge of sewage.
“While information may seem scarce to many of our officers, Southern Water’s own maps show, at the time of writing, some 15 discharges in the past 72 hours following recent downpours.
“In addition to the obvious environmental and community impacts, closures of popular beaches and restrictions on inland waterways are causing financial losses to the many businesses that depend on our beaches and rivers.”
Rother District Council said the beaches at Bexhill and Normans Bay would reopen today.
So far this summer holidaymakers have been warned to avoid 50 beaches in England and Wales because the sea is polluted by sewage
Phélim Mac Cafferty, Brighton and Hove City Council leader, said he was “abhorred” by the release and plans to meet with Southern Water’s chief executive next week.
He said, ‘Southern Water needs to stop the sewer and pay for an immediate cleanup. But they also need to do a lot more to prevent this from happening again.’
Southern Water and Rother District Council said they are investigating the potential impact on bathing water quality.
The water company said it is not known how many liters of sewage were discharged into the sea, but is “working closely” with the Environment Agency.
The water company, which covers Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, East Sussex, West Sussex and Kent, will also investigate the cause of the power outage.
It said it would share the matter with customers and stakeholders when it could.
A man sits on the beach next to where brown cloudy water can be seen in Bexhill-on-sea as raw sewage is pumped into the sea along the East Sussex coast
So far this summer holidaymakers have been warned to avoid 50 beaches in England and Wales because the sea is polluted by sewage.
The Safer Seas and Rivers Service, led by campaign group Surfers Against Sewage, revealed sewage had been discharged into the sea from beaches in Cornwall, Devon, Sussex, Lancashire and Cumbria, among others, and warned that swimmers could be at risk.
Environmental campaign group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) maintains its own interactive map where surfers and other beach visitors can check the water quality of their local beach on a daily basis. Ticks mean that the water quality is fine for water activities, while beaches with cross marks should be avoided. Key and snowflake symbols mean water quality data is not available due to ongoing work or because the beach is out of season
The most concentrated areas were on the south coast.
Water companies are allowed to discharge wastewater into rivers and seas to prevent sewage works from becoming overloaded during periods of heavy rain.
But critics say companies have failed to invest in better infrastructure like storage tanks, favoring dividends to shareholders and bonuses to top executives.