AfriPulse
Revealed: The 83 beaches Britons are warned to avoid due to SEWAGE being dumped into waters nearby – including a TripAdvisor favourite
Surfers Against Sewage have illustrated the widespread problem of discharge seeping into the water at seaside hotspots
Gorleston Beach – named Britain’s best last month – is also affected
By Lizzie May For Mailonline
Published: 16:17 EDT, 14 March 2023 | Updated: 05:17 EDT, 15 March 2023
Britons have been warned not to swim at dozens of beaches after heavy rainfall caused sewage discharge to seep into the waters.
Surfers Against Sewage have issued a warning which includes rivers and seaside hotspots.
The marine conservation charity monitors water quality across the nation to alert the public to areas affected by sewage.
Using an interactive map, Surfers Against Sewage have highlighted 83 spots to avoid.
A TripAdvisor favourite has been included in the list – Gorleston Beach in Norfolk – which was named the ‘best beach in the country’ only last month.
Britons have been warned not to swim at more than 80 beaches across the country after heavy rainfall has caused sewage discharge to seep into the waters
The little-known seaside town is bracing itself for an influx of visitors after Tripadvisor named its sandy beach the best in Britain and number 12 in Europe.
Locals insisted today that they were not at all surprised by the accolade. But it seems that for now a visit to the hidden gem is off the cards due to a sewer overflow in the area.
The warning from the charity read: ‘Gorleston-on-Sea became popular in Edwardian times and is still a busy seaside resort. A number of sewer overflows discharge into the River Yare that flows to the sea at the northern end of the beach.’
Other beaches on the warning list include, Southend Jubilee Beach, Sheerness, Folkestone, Dymchurch, Camber, Bognor Regis and Cowes.
Tourist hotspots Brighton, Blackpool and Whitstable are also warned against going to.
Scarborough, Saltburn, Whitby, Spittal, Amble links, Warkworth, Seaham, Walney Biggar Bank, Pendower are also on the list.
Sewage and agricultural pollution have put the UK at the bottom of the list in Europe in terms of its bathing water quality ranking.
Pollution can make waters risky as people can contract harmful illnesses such as viruses and ‘antimicrobial resistant bacteria.
The group estimates that ‘over 400,000 discharges of untreated sewage into UK rivers’ and ‘almost 5,500 discharges into UK coastal bathing waters’.
Last August, it was revealed that water companies have spent more than nine million hours pumping raw sewage into Britain’s seas and rivers since 2016.
Environment Agency figures reveal the staggering amount discharged into areas including tourist and bathing hotspots.
And the Labour Party, which obtained the data under Freedom of Information laws, warned on Friday that the full scale of pollution could be much worse.
Jim McMahon, Labour’s environment spokesman, accused the water giants of cutting corners to ‘pump filthy raw sewage on to our playing fields and into our waters’.
He added: ‘Labour will put a stop to this disgraceful practice by ensuring there can be enforcement of unlimited fines, holding water company bosses legally and financially accountable for their negligence, and by toughening up regulations that currently allow the system to be abused.’
The data shows that, since 2016, raw sewage has been released into the UK’s seas and rivers for a total of 9,427,355 hours.
It also shows that there has been a 2,553 per cent increase in the number of monitored discharge hours between 2016 and 2021, with the party arguing that the situation is ‘drastically worsening’ under the Conservatives.
In 2016, the Environment Agency recorded 100,533 hours’ worth of spills.
By 2021, that figure had rocketed to 2,667,452.
All 83 beaches Britons are warned to AVOID due to sewage dumped
Dhoon Bay
Spittal
Warkworth
Amble Links
Druridge Bay North
Druridge Bay South
Blyth South Beach
Tynemouth Cullercoats
Seaham Hall Beach
Seaham Beach
Seaton Carew North
Redcar Coatham
Redcar Granville
Redcar Stray
Marske Sands
Saltburn
Whitby
Scarborough North Bay
Scarborough South Bay
Bridlington South Beach
Heacham
Gorleston Beach
Southend Three Shells
Southend Jubilee Beach
Sheerness Canterbury
Minster Leas
Leysdown
West Beach, Whitstable
Tankerton
Herne Bay Central
Herne Bay
Sandgate
Hythe
St Marys Bay (Kent)
St Leonards
Bexhill
Normans Bay
Pevensey Bay
Seaford
Saltdean
Brighton Kemptown
Brighton Central – Brighton
Hove Lawn
Littlehampton
Bognor Regis East
Bognor Regis (Aldwick)
Pagham
Langstone Harbour
Eastney
Southsea East
Stokes Bay
Ryde
Seagrove
St Helens
Bembridge
Whitecliff Bay
Yaverland
Sandown
Shanklin
Lee-on-Solent
Hillhead
Cowes
Gurnard
Colwell Bay
Totland Bay
Pentewan
Dunster North West
Weston Main
Weston-super-Mare Sand Bay
Wharfe at Cromwheel – Ilkley Bathing Water
Southport
St Annes
St Annes North
Blackpool South
Blackpool Central
Blackpool North
Bispham
Cleveleys
Fleetwood
Morecambe North
Walney Biggar Bank
Walney Sandy Gap
Walney West Shore
Source: NewsFinale | Read More
