‘Don’t swim’ warning at popular Devon beach after sewage pipe leak

Members of the public are being urged not to swim at one of Devon’s most popular beaches after a sewage leak.

The Environment Agency (EA) has advised against swimming at Bigbury-on-Sea - which is classified as “excellent” because a leaking sewage pipe has affected the water quality.

A pollution incident started at 6:30pm on Tuesday (23 May) and signs around the beach at Bigbury on Sea went up on Wednesday evening (24 May).

The incident is still ongoing while South West Water “fixes the problem” and “tankers away” the sewage.

The EA has also advised the public against swimming in nearby bathing waters including at Bigbury North, Bigbury South, Bantham and Challaborough “as they are linked”.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “A South West Water pipe, which discharges treated effluent from an outfall pipe in, is leaking. The Environment Agency have issued advice against swimming in the Bigbury-on-Sea area while South West Water fixes the problem.

“South West Water has attended the site, when tides have allowed, and will advise when repairs are complete. In the meantime, sewage is being tankered away.”

A South West Water spokesperson said it is “aware of a leak” and its team are “working hard” to “stop the flows and carry out a repair”.

The spokesperson said: “We are aware of a leak on the final effluent pipe at our treatment works in Bigbury. This has resulted in treated water discharging down the cliff instead of the permitted discharge point out at sea.

"Our teams are working hard on site to stop the flows and carry out a repair, which we will complete as quickly as we can."

South West Water was recently fined £2.15 million after an EA investigation found it had illegally dumped sewage into rivers and the sea in Devon and Cornwall.

The investigation found that there were a number of common faults in the implementation of the management systems and alarms signalling spills at treatment works were not acted upon for several hours at two sites.

Over recent weeks there has been public backlash against the amount of sewage being poured into UK rivers and beaches, and the “pathetic” apology given by water companies over the scandal.

Industry body Water UK said the public was “right to be upset” and admitted “more should have been done”, while announcing plans to invest £10 billion for the biggest modernisation of sewers “since the Victorian era”.

It was later revealed that the public will have to pay towards upgrading storm overflows through increases in their bills by regulators for years.

Anti-sewage campaigners told NationalWorld the apology given was “absolutely pathetic” and they are “outraged” that water firms “should take £60 billion in profits then ask for £10 billion from the public purse”.

Caroline Quaife, 60, who joined in with sewage campaign group Surfers Against Sewage protest on Saturday 20 May) said she is “really fed up of the quality of our rivers getting worse and worse”.

Another campaigner said raising customers’ bills to cover the £10 billion investment is “pretty appalling”, telling NationalWorld that “we need a regulatory body that actually has some teeth”.