Pretty UK seaside towns have issued urgent sewage alerts as beaches all across the country are affected.
After heavy rain on Sunday, sewage overflows have reportedly spilled onto many South West beaches – with 26 issued in Devon alone. Beaches in Cornwall and Somerset are also heavily impacted, according to Surfers Against Sewage.
Surfers Against Sewage reports that sewage has been discharged at 26 beaches in Devon within the last 48 hours. Both north and south Devon have been affected by the series of alerts, along with neighbouring beaches in Dorset and Somerset.
These alerts happen when storm overflows release a mix of flood water and sewage into British seas. Overflows are an outlet from the sewer system which spill when they’re filled with rainwater, explains Water UK. This is to stop sewage from flooding into homes.
Water UK has announced plans to invest £10billion over the next seven years to tackle storm overflows across Britain. The organisation highlighted that 100,000 kilometres of the UK’s sewage system was constructed before the mid-60s, a time when there was less understanding of climate change and population growth, both factors that contribute to more frequent storm overflow discharges.
Surfers Against Sewage, an environmental charity, keeps a close eye on 450 rivers and coastal areas for any signs of storm overflow spills.
