Images present ‘sewage’ pouring into sea close to fashionable seashore the place folks swim in
A water firm has admitted “there is more to do” after movies and photos confirmed sewage being launched at a busy seashore.
South West Water has acknowledged there’s room for enchancment after a collection of images and movies emerged exhibiting what seems to be sewage being discharged at a seashore in Cornwall. The challenge got here to mild earlier this week when a household unknowingly swam in contaminated water at Harlyn Bay attributable to small warning indicators which went unnoticed.
On Wednesday, further movies surfaced, revealing storm overflow gushing into the ocean. In one video, a person might be heard saying: “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.”
The footage reveals discoloured water on the level the place it enters the ocean. Furthermore, two photos have circulated, seemingly depicting rest room waste within the space.
A involved beachgoer shared their frustration, saying: “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.”
South West Water clarified that the outfall at Harlyn discharges handled effluent from the therapy works as the primary move. However, intermittent storm overflow discharge might also happen.
As of Thursday morning, Surfers Against Sewage has issued storm sewage discharge warnings for 23 seashores in Cornwall, together with fashionable spots like Widemouth Bay, Fistral, Gwithian, Porthcurno, Gylly, and Readymoney Cove. On Wednesday, there have been sewage warnings at 25 Cornish seashores. South West Water’s Waterfit interactive map signifies that overflow warnings are presently in place for Harlyn Bay, Pentewan, and Portmellon.
South West Water responded to CornwallLive‘s inquiry with an announcement explaining that storm overflows are permitted throughout heavy rainfall to stop properties from flooding. The firm expressed its dedication to lowering the usage of overflows sooner or later.
A spokesperson for South West Water acknowledged: “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.”
In April, South West Water received a £2.1 million fine for pollution and sewage dumping in Cornwall. The recent concerns highlight the ongoing challenges faced by the company in ensuring water quality and environmental protection.
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