UPDATE: Councillors Respond To Seaford Sewage Dump

Council leaders and the Town Clerk for Seaford have all expressed their disgust following reports this week of raw sewage entering the water at popular bathing spots in Seaford and all over Sussex.

Responding to recent reports of sewage outflow into the sea across the south coast, Brighton & Hove City Council Leader, Phélim Mac Cafferty, called for urgent action from Southern Water. 

“Like many, I’m disgusted by the scenes of raw sewage being pumped into the sea in Seaford. This marks another sad and stark day for our environment.

“This was one of 14 sewage warnings across Sussex [1] yesterday (Tuesday 16 August). Seaford is in what’s known as a Marine Protected Area which is an area specifically set up to protect fragile wildlife and habitats. Southern Water urgently need to explain themselves.  

“Dumping sewage into the sea is not only harms wildlife, it affects everything from our health, public safety to the local economy. It’s in all our interests that this Victorian malpractice stops now.” 

In a July report, the council pledged to ‘keep challenging’ Southern Water on the amount of sewage it releases into the sea. 

At the time, Southern Water boss Nick Mills, who heads up the company’s Storm Overflow Task Force, said sea sewage caused by overflowing sewers is ‘unacceptable’ 

Heavy rain can cause sewage overflows 

On it's website, Brighton & Hove City Council explains how sewage overflows can happen during heavy rain when local sewer networks struggle to cope with the amount of water entering pipes and storage tanks:

When the tanks become full of rain, Southern Water uses pressure relief valves built into the network – known as storm overflows – to release excess water into rivers and the sea, which can also include large amounts of sewage. 

Mr Mills also gave a presentation in July to the council’s Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee outlining what the company sees as the problems the region faces as the local sewer network is old and needs replacing.

Southern Water previously received a record-breaking £90million fine for releasing sewage into the sea. When sentencing the water company, Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson said it had discharged between 16 billion and 21 billion litres of raw sewage into some of the most precious, delicate environments in the country.  

“Completely unacceptable”

Councillor Mac Cafferty added:

“Yesterday there were eight sewage pipes pouring raw sewage into the sea around Brighton & Hove.

“This is completely unacceptable. We can’t have the situation where our environment continues to be a dumping ground for sewage. 

“Southern Water need to stop the sewage and pay for an immediate clean-up. But they also need to do much more to stop this happening again. 

“For our part the city council will continue to do what we can to protect our environment and biodiversity. That includes our seafront team helping our communities make informed decisions about whether and where to go in the sea. 

"I advocate that people refer to the resources available such as the excellent information from Surfers Against Sewage.

“I’m meeting with Southern Water’s Chief Executive next week and I will be challenging them to stop this appalling behaviour and act urgently for our health and environment.”

Seaford Town Council was equally shocked and concerned by the footage released on Twitter this week, showing what appeared to be raw sewage being pumped into the ocean by a popular bathing spot.

A statement was released by the council today (Aug 18):

Town Clerk for Seaford, Adam Chugg said:

“I was stunned and saddened to view the recent film of sewage being pumped into the sea at Seaford.

“Seaford Bay is an iconic part of the town and is used regularly by residents and visitors. Seaford Town Council do not think it is acceptable to put public health at risk in this way.

“We were pleased to be part of a news report by Channel 4 about the incident, aired on Thursday night: https://fb.watch/eZCfnl8rit/  to make these points. We are also raising this matter with Southern Water.”

As confirmed by Lewes District Council, Councillor Matthew Bird, a Cabinet Member for Sustainability at Lewes District Council, has condemned Southern Water after viewing the discharge film as a ‘new low’ by the company.

Councillor Bird said:

“To see these sewage discharges into our seas, especially at time when many swimmers are taking to the water, is truly shocking and disheartening. Discharges are only supposed to take place after storm events and only because our water infrastructure is not fit for purpose.”

Councillor Matthew Bird understands that Southern Water will at long last attend a meeting of the council’s Policy and Performance Advisory Committee in November.

Seaford Town Council stands with Lewes District Council and many other Local authorities along the coast.

In response to the video yesterday, a spokesperson for Southern Water said:

We’ve carried out investigations, which have shown our nearby pumping station working as it should. This release is from surface water run-off following the heavy rain. During heavy rain, after an extended dry period, this run-off can pick up debris and silt from our network, which can lead to discolouration. More info and how to report any concerns can be found on our website.

A further statement added that these discharges "are heavily diluted and typically 95 per cent of them are rainwater."

UPDATE

In further news this afternoon, MPs from across Sussex have written to Southern Water and the Environment Agency demanding that the Sussex waterways and coast ‘are respected and protected.’

In the letter, the MPs state “Once again, the rivers and coastline across Sussex are being blighted by the discharge of sewage”.

Revealing the cost, they add: “In addition to the obvious environmental and community impact, the closure of popular beaches and restrictions on inland waterways causes financial loss to the numerous businesses who rely on our beaches and rivers".

Pointing to new legislation which puts a duty on water authorities to take action to eradicate sewage discharges, the MPs say:

"We were pleased to support a Conservative amendment to the Environment Bill which, after decades of inaction by Governments of all political shades, for the first time ever, puts a statutory obligation to eradicate this practice.”

The MPs are now seeking an urgent meeting in Parliament with both organisations ‘in order to get an action plan and timeline’ for this duty to be delivered.

In addition to the meeting, the MPs have demanded details of each and every discharge across their constituencies and the role played by the Sussex Resilience Forum in delivering emergency action between local authorities and agencies. The MPs are due to be separately meeting with representatives of the LRF to assess its capacity to coordinate responses to emergency events.

Southern Water is consulting on its Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans currently until September 5th. Seaford Town Council encourage the public to share their thoughts, including those relating to this recent sewage discharge via the Southern Water Website: https://www.southernwater.co.uk/dwmp