Nearly fifty beaches in England and Wales have been issued pollution alerts after untreated sewage was released into the sea around the coast.
Since Monday, according to official data, Southern Water has released water to protect homes and businesses.
It follows a period of high rainfall in the south of England, which was preceded by a period of exceptionally dry weather.
Water businesses provided the Safer Seas and Rivers Service with data.
The service is administered by the nonprofit Surfers Against Sewage.
Bognor Regis, Lulworth Cove, Newquay, Eastbourne, and Southend-on-Sea are among the popular resort beaches that have been affected.
The majority are located on the south coast of England.
In addition to Wessex Water and South West Water, Southern Water is one of the water corporations responsible for these districts.
In a statement, Southern Water stated, “There were thunderstorms with heavy rain the previous evening and Tuesday.” To protect homes, schools, and businesses from floods, storm releases were made. The emission consists of 95-97 percent rainwater, hence it should not be referred to as raw sewage.
“We recognize that customers dislike the industry’s reliance on these [discharges] to safeguard them, and we are pioneering a new strategy.”
Southern Water was fined a record £90 million in 2017 after admitting to dumping massive quantities of sewage into the water throughout the south coast.
These discharges, which are lawful, typically occur after severe rainfall, when there is a possibility that pipes carrying stormwater and sewage will overflow.
This should only occur in rare circumstances. In 2020 and 2021, however, there were about 400,000 leak occurrences.
Protecting health The Environment Agency stated in a statement that sewage contamination can be “devastating to human health, local biodiversity, and our environment.” It stated that it will not hesitate to eliminate the environmental damage caused by sewage discharges.
It has previously called for the imprisonment of the top executives of England’s water firms when severe pollution problems occur.
Hugo Tagholm, the chief executive officer of Surfers Against Sewage, stated, “Once again, our rivers and beaches are being treated as open sewers. Years of underinvestment are now readily apparent.”
The government has stated that a plan to limit storm overflows will be developed by 2022. This was made mandatory by the Environment Act of 2021.
