Waste water releases authorised in Sussex over the weekend

Releases were authorised in Bexhill and St Leonards in East Sussex yesterday (October 2), each lasting just over 5 and a half hours, according to Southern Water’s bathing water quality tracking app Beachbuoy.

The releases started at 9.27am and went on until 3.07pm. A second outfall was authorised in both locations, but at different sites, later that day, with releases starting at 10.35am and going on until 11.45am.

Similar releases took place in Littlehampton, with the first starting at 12.12pm and going on until 1.09pm and the second, this time taking place at the foreshore tank, taking place from 10.24am to 11.43am.

Further releases were authorised near Littlehampton earlier that day, this time from two different locations – Ford Road, in Arundel and Sea Road in Littlehampton itself. The Ford Road released lasted from 9.14am to 9.56am, and the Sea Road outfall lasted from 9.27am to 9.53am.

Aldwick, Pagham, and Bognor Regis East all saw releases as well, with outfalls lasting just over an hour: from 9.45am to 10.46am.

Shortly after that, more releases took place in Seaford and Saltdean, this time lasting half an hour. They started at 10.14am and finished at 10.44am.

For a full list of sewage releases in the area covered by Southern Water, click here.

The releases come alongside a protest in Pevensey Bay on Sunday, which saw demonstrators challenging Southern Water over the practice.

On Friday, Southern Water warned that storms were set to sweep the Sussex Coast, adding that their overflow systems will be activated to protect homes from flooding.

A spokesperson told Sussex World that, during heavy rain, local sewer networks struggle to cope with the volume of water entering pipes and sewage tanks. When they finally fill up, storm overflows release the excess water through outfalls into rivers and the sea.

“We are investing and taking action to reduce the use of storm overflows and lead the way towards creating healthier rivers and seas,” a spokesperson said.

They added: “We have committed to investing £2 billion over five years to improve our performance. This will help us to reduce 80 per cent of our pollution incidents by 2025.”

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