Sewage dumped on England's beaches more than 1,500 times last year

Water firms dumped sewage on England’s cleanest beaches more than 1,500 times last year for 8,500 hours

• Most incidents happened on the Isle of Wight with 161 sewage releases in 2022
• Devon beaches also saw the equivalent of one sewage release every three days

Water companies dumped sewage more than 1,500 times on England’s cleanest beaches last year.

Bays in England with a Blue Flag mark – an international award recognising the finest stretches of coastline – were soiled for nearly 8,500 hours in total.

The highest number of incidents was at Sandown on the Isle of Wight, a popular tourist destination loved by celebrities and families alike, with 161 sewage discharges in 2022.

The Devon beaches of Blackpool Sands and Dawlish also each saw the equivalent of one discharge incident every three days, according to the data, which was analysed by the Liberal Democrats.

Lib-Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: ‘Britain’s beaches are being ruined by profiteering water companies getting away with dumping sewage as the Government has failed to act for years.

Bays in England with a Blue Flag mark – an international award recognising the finest stretches of coastline – were soiled for nearly 8,500 hours in total. Pictured: protester against sewage in Newquay, Cornwall, 2022

‘Whilst these firms have been raking in multi-billion pound profits, people have been left to swim in raw sewage. The whole thing stinks.’

Water company executives have paid themselves £51 million, including £30.6 million in bonuses, in the last two years.

England’s sewage companies have been legally permitted to release sewage in waterways for years, through storm overflow pipes.

But new legislation means they are now obliged to reduce the amount they release.

It comes as Ofwat, the water regulator, announced plans to accelerate spending more than £1.6 billion (CORR) on projects to improve infrastructure, which it hopes will help reduce the frequency of sewage spills.

Ofwat wants the schemes to begin work by 2025 at the latest.

John Halsall, South West Water’s chief operating officer, said: ‘We are reducing the use of storm overflows and our plan is working but there is more to do.

‘We want everyone to feel confident about the water quality at their favourite beaches and to know that we are serious about reducing the use of storm overflows.’

Source: Read Full Article