Sewage alerts at 11 Yorkshire beaches amid heavy rain as visitors warned ‘don’t swim in sea’

Several beaches across the UK have been hit with sewage pollution alerts with visitors warned not to swim in the water.

The new alerts come following a weekend of heavy rainfall which has caused sewers and sewage pipes to overflow and spill into the ocean.

Anti-sewage campaign group Surfers Against Sewage issued the alerts for 11 beaches on the Yorkshire coast after “storm sewage” was released.

A warning for the affected beaches reads: "Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours." 

Alerts apply to the following 11 beaches along the Yorkshire coast:

• Bridlington North Beach
• Hornsea
• Filey
• Scarborough South Bay
• Scarborough North Bay
• Whitby
• Seaton Carew North
• Seaham Hall Beach
• Tynemouth Cullercoats
• Cleethorpes
• Humberston Fitties

At Hornsea, there are two sewer overflows that discharge into the sea, one through an outfall and the other across the beach that drains the lake (Hornsea Mere).

At Bridlington North Beach, there are two sewer overflows discharging directly onto the beach and another long sea sewer overflow discharging from Gypsy Race 1.1km into the North Sea. Visitors are advised not to swim in Bridlington South Beach due to ‘poor annual classification’.

At Filey a sewer overflow discharges directly onto the beach and other affected beaches a little further north include both Cleethorpes and Humberston Fitties in North East Lincolnshire, as well as Scarborough, Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby in North Yorkshire.

Visitors to these beaches are advised not to swim in the water until the sewage has had time to dissipate. 

The pollution alerts come after a “do not swim” warning was issued across a swathe of popular beaches across the UK’s Fylde coast last week after raw sewage was pumped into the sea.

The affected beaches included Bispham, Blackpool Central, Blackpool North, Blackpool South, Cleveleys beach, Fleetwood, St Annes and St Annes North.

United Utilities described it a “very unusual incident” and said “urgent repair work” is being carried out which could “take some time”.

As well as sewage ruining the enjoyment of UK beaches, members of the are potentially facing paying higher bills as water firms attempt to tackle discharges.

Southern Water has recently come under fire after documents from a focus group revealed that the firm is proposing to charge customers £279 extra a year to help reduce sewage discharges.

Under the plans, which account for inflation, each household would have to pay on average 73% more by 2030 compared with today – a total of £759 a year.

Southern Water said the options are not final but part of a wider programme of research before it submits its proposals to industry regulator Ofwat in October and that the figures do not include discounts of at least 45% to around 125,000 households in financial hardship.

Katy Colley, from the group Hastings Boycotts Southern Water, is one of many across the country withholding their wastewater bills in protest at sewage pollution.

She said: “Southern Water has had years to put their house in order and make the necessary investments from the money they collect from our bills; instead they paid out millions in dividends, executive salaries and bonuses.

“Now they want us to pay all over again for the works they should have already done. It’s a disgrace and we are certainly not going to pick up the bill for their greed.”

Katy Taylor, chief customer officer of Southern Water, said: “We regularly listen to the views of customers from across our region when we plan future investment in our network, and we discuss the possible impacts on bills.

“We know our communities want to see us investing to improve our environmental outcomes and to do it wisely, but we also recognise the concerns about rising payments in the face of a cost-of-living crisis.

“This is why it is important we work together with our communities, in finding the right balance.”