English beach sewage dumps not monitored properly, data shows

Sewage discharges at popular British seaside resorts are not monitored by water companies.

According to data analysed by the Liberal Democrats, many monitoring devices had not been installed or did not work as often as they should.

A quarter of sewage discharges went unmonitored last year because of a lack of monitors, according to the Liberal Democrats.

Water firms insist they are committed to addressing the issue.

A review of data from the Environment Agency shows that a monitor was only working a third of the time at the popular beach.

The beaches in East Sussex were closed last week due to the release of wastewater into the sea.

Heavy rain overwhelmed sewer systems and caused pollution warnings to be put in place at more than 40 beaches and swimming spots.

Some event duration monitoring devices were not installed at some of the beaches that have bathing water status, according to the Liberal Democrats.

One in eight of the sewage monitors installed by South West Water were either faulty or not installed.

Bathing water status is given to places where ministers expect a lot of people to bathe.

According to the Environment Agency, raw sewage was pumped into rivers and coastlines around 375,000 times in 2011.

The number of sewer overflows monitored across the network increased from 800 in 2016 to more than 12,000 in 2020. It said that all 15,000 will have them by the end of the year.

The government wants to reduce discharges into bathing waters by 70% and eliminate sewage overflows by the year 2040.

Steve Double said that the government was the first to tackle sewage overflows.

Sewage overflows continue to be tackled at a rapid pace.

Investment and accountability is required from water companies to ensure that this environmental disaster is not repeated.

She said that the protection of the environment and the community that enjoy it is paramount.

The analysis found that Anglian Water had less than half of its sewage discharges measured due to a faulty monitor or the fact that one was never installed.

South West Water and Severn Trent Water were the next two.

Stanley Johnson blamed his son's administration for the sewage issue.

He said Britain's beaches got a clean up after joining the EU. The UK is facing a very dangerous and difficult situation without the EU push.

The work had been done to improve the issue, according to the two water companies.

"All but three of the places designated for bathing in our region are rated as good or excellent for bathing water quality, and all have EDM monitors installed on them."

She said the company would have devices installed by the end of the year.

A spokesman for Southern said that the company has monitors on almost all of the storm overflows.

One of the highest levels in the industry is covered by this.

We're going to invest over one hundred million dollars to drive down pollutions.

Tim Farron, the party's environment spokesman, described a national scandal in which water companies could be guilty of grossNegligence by Failing to install Sewage Monitors.

All wastewater companies in England and Wales are currently being investigated by the water regulator.

He said that cases are open in relation to six of them.

The House of Commons rejected an attempt by the House of Lords to strengthen the Environment Bill.

Peers wanted to make it a requirement for water companies and the government to take all reasonable steps to avoid using combined sewer overflows.

Some MPs said the proposed amendment was unnecessary, while others said it was better to dump sewage into open water.