The figure is an increase of 2,553% over five years, according to Labour’s analysis of Environment Agency (EA) data, released under the Freedom of Information Act. Between 2016 and 2021 water companies discharged sewage into waterways and the sea for a total of 9,427,355 hours, equivalent to 1,076 years. It comes as EA issued warnings to holidaymakers to avoid dozens of beaches across England and Wales this week. Raw sewage was spotted pouring into the sea near Bexhill, East Sussex on Wednesday. On Saturday, the red flags were removed, meaning the water was officially deemed safe for swimming. The beach, however, was almost deserted. Image: Bexhill-on-Sea resident Rachel Streeter “Dirty, muddy, stinks” Bexhill residents told Sky News they find what they describe as “regular dumping of sewage” along the coast “disastrous”. Rachel Streeter moved to Bexhill-on-Sea in 2007 to enjoy wild swimming and the beach. He described seeing feces floating in the water during the dive. “It’s dirty, murky and stinky. Flies actually fly over the surface of the water as well as the sewage. It’s pretty obvious,” he said. Rachel says her friends and family have gotten sick after swimming. Her 79-year-old mother went for a swim last week and fell ill with a “severe bacterial infection”. Subscribe to ClimateCast on Spotify, Apple Podcast or Spreaker. Businesses say they are also affected by it. Cliff Meadon, who runs the Epic Life canoe and kayak business, says he has lost “thousands” in the past two years to the sewage dump. “We’ve had to cancel sessions. We’ve been in the water with teams when we’ve had to go in as sewage comes out. We’ve seen it,” he said. In Hastings people have been advised not to swim due to the risk of pollution this week. The beaches at Normans Bay as well as Bexhill were closed but have now reopened. “Too diluted” Landfills were blamed for heavy rainfall. A spokesman for Southern Water said: “This week’s heavy rainfall has fallen on dry ground that cannot absorb surface run-off, meaning more rain than usual has overwhelmed our network. “This has led to some spillways – which are used to protect homes, schools, businesses and hospitals from flooding – excess water being dumped into the sea. “These secretions are very diluted. “We are committed to significantly reducing storm surges and are implementing innovative pilot programs across the region to reduce the amount of rainfall entering our combined sewers by 2030.” The Environment Agency declined to comment. Southern Water was fined £90m last year for widespread pollution after pleading guilty to more than 6,000 unacceptable sewage discharges. The disposals took place between 2010 and 2015. Southern argued that the sewage discharge was not intentional and said after the case that the company was committed to transformation, transparency and cultural change.
