The Environment Agency has issued mored than 30 water quality warnings following the weekend’s heavy rain. A surfing charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) have warned that there will be more this summer, citing a “completely oversubscribed” sewage system.
The charity are calling for more investment from water companies to prevent further incidents of pollution.
Andy Cummins from SAS warned that raw sewage outflows should only be used in 100-year storm events but without “significant investment” they will continue to be overused.
The South West was hit particularly badly by the rain with parts of Cornwall receiving upwards of 60mm during the course of the weekend. This resulted in forty incidents of raw sewage polluting beaches throughout the region, bad news for those setting off on summer holidays in the South West.
An Environment Agency spokesman said: “Heavy rain can lead to a short term increase in pollution at beaches and bathing waters. People can check the Environment Agency’s bathing water explorer to get the latest bathing water results and check for daily pollution alerts.”
Image: Whitesand Bay in Cornwall by Chris Allen
