‘National scandal’: sewage monitors at popular UK beaches ‘broken’ for two years running with over 100 faulty

Popular UK beaches have sewage monitors that have been broken for two years in a row in what has been called a “national scandal”.

New analysis of 2022 Environment Agency data by the Liberal Democrats has shown that 112 sewage monitors in England’s bathing waters were faulty - an increase on 2021, when 88 of the monitors were broken.

Tim Nunn, Communications Manager at Surfers Against Sewage, said the new figures are of “no surprise” as water companies have a “complete disregard for public health”.

South West Water was found to be the worst offender with over one in ten swimming water sewage monitors being faulty last year, while beaches in Cornwall, Devon and Sussex - popular holiday spots - have been found to have sewage monitors broken for two years in a row.

One sewage monitor was found to be broken for the entire year at Seaford in Sussex meaning there is no information on when and how much sewage was discharged there.

Overall South West Water had 31 monitors broken last year with beaches at Bude Bay, Dawlish Town and Lyme Regis all having sewage monitors installed which have been faulty in both 2021 and 2022. 

Southern Water had 19 broken sewage monitors in bathing areas last year, with one near the popular Newhaven Beach in Sussex found to have been broken for two years running. 

Overall, 52 sewage monitors in swimming water areas were found to be faulty for both 2021 and 2022, with the Liberal Democrats slamming the Conservatives for “burying their heads in the sand” over the sewage scandal.

Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said it is “a national scandal” as the broken monitors mean “we have no idea just how much sewage people are swimming in”.

He said: “These profiteering firms have been too busy stuffing their pockets instead of fixing basic infrastructure. As millions of people flock to the beach this month, we need these monitors fixed immediately.

“Why is the government just letting these disgraced firms get away with it?”

A spokesperson from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said the government has increased storm overflow monitoring from 7% in 2010 to 91% this year and has “enabled the extent of sewage discharges to be revealed so that we are better equipped to investigate and tackle it”.

The spokesperson added: “We expect all EDM monitors to be properly working to maintain the transparency the regulator and public expect.

“Where faulty or inactive monitors are identified by the Environment Agency, they are then investigated further, and we will hold water companies to account to deliver that.”

A South West Water spokesperson said “with one-third of the UK’s bathing waters” it has “focused on achieving 100% monitoring across all of our storm overflows, and achieved that last year, ahead of plan.”

The spokesperson added: “We are now using this data to go further and faster to reduce the impact of storm overflows, as well as sharing data with customers and communities about water quality on their favourite beach and the investments we’re making.”

How many faulty sewage monitors are there?

Water companies are required to monitor all overflows by the end of this year, and they must also flag when discharges from the storm overflows affect designated bathing water.

A monitor is considered faulty when it functions for less than 90% of the time.

From its new analysis, the Liberal Democrats have listed how many sewage monitors, designated for swimming water status areas, are operating for less than 90% of the time at each water company in 2022.

Listed below are the figures for each water company compared to how many faulty sewage monitors there were in 2021.

Sewage monitors functioning for less than 90% of the time

Anglian Water

2022: 7

2021: 0

Northumbrian Water

2022: 21

2021: 17

Southern Water

2022: 19

2021: 20

South West Water

2022: 31

2021: 30

United Utilities

2022: 23

2021: 20

Wessex Water

2022: 6

2021: 1

Yorkshire Water

2022: 5

2021: 0

Thames Water (the water firm had no designated bathing water status’ in 2021)

2022: 0