Bathers told not to swim in sea after sewage release in Thanet
Video report from Sarah Saunders
Bathers are being advised not to swim in the sea in parts of Thanet due to sewage being released into the water.
The wastewater was discharged because of a fault at a pumping station in Broadstairs on Tuesday (05/10) morning.
Southern Water said it will carry out a full investigation into the cause as well as inspections of the surrounding beaches for 5 days.
Nine beaches have been checked and the company said currently no sign of debris has been found.
Andy Webb, the owner of Kent Surf Club said everyone who uses the water is angry.
He said: "It's catastrophic again you know, Southern Water dumping in the ocean. Having to close again, with our open water swimming courses that we are running here, we can't operate. And speaking for the whole community for the surfers and the paddle boarders, we're angry with it. We can't get in the water."
Andy Webb, Kent Surf Club:
In a statement, Southern Water said: "Southern Water is passionately committed to the environment and part of this is being fully transparent about how we operate. We’re leading the way within the water industry with pollution reporting, and the Beachbouy Bathing Water Portal is part of this.
"We’re also very heavily invested in cutting pollution incidents, reducing them by 75% by 2025. In Thanet, this includes a first-of-its-kind surface water drainage survey for the area.
Across the Southern Water region, we’re investing £200 million a year for wastewater assets and environmental protection."
Toby Willison, Southern Water: