My kids went for a paddle in the sea but the waves were full of SEWAGE… it was horrific
A HORRIFIED mum has claimed her her kids went for a paddle at the seaside but the waves were full of SEWAGE.
Emma Oldham, 33, says the disgusting brown water made her family ill after visiting the beach in Huttoft, Lincolnshire.
Mrs Oldham said she noticed something was wrong after her twin three-year-old’s and five-year-old ran off into the sea.
She said: “As a conservation biologist, I know why the sea can be muddy sometimes. But with there being heavy rains the night before, I was trying to process what was going on.
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“The water was filled with these grainy bits and they were sticking to my skin, at that point my daughter came up to me and said ‘there’s brown everywhere.'”
In a video posted by Mrs Oldham on Twitter, brown sludge can be seen on the beach and sticking to her children’s feet as they splash on the shoreline.
The waves are also a dirty brown colour as they hit the beach and leave a foamy residue on the sand.
After spending just three minutes in the water, the family rushed out and headed straight to the showers at the campsite.
The outraged mum said she had suffered from chronic stomach pains ever since and has been forced to miss work while her two twins have also had be off school as they have also been feeling under the weather.
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Mrs Oldham said: “After looking back on that video, I realised I’m not in a rush to go back to the sea, which is heartbreaking.
“I’m really disappointed as I know there’s been a huge campaign against sewage in the water, it’s such a detriment to local tourism as well as the local wildlife.”
Kirsty Nizinkiewicz, 33, is one of the other mums who took their children to the beach, she said: “Over the weekend, I went on a final holiday of the year with some friends, all of whom have young children.
“It was natural for us to want to go to the beach on our last day and enjoy jumping in the waves as so many children love to do.
“I have never seen sea water looking so brown and smelly and hate to think what sort of impact this is having on the wildlife local to the area.”
Anglian Water said no sewage was found in the water or on the beaches after an inspection.
A spokesperson said: “We have thoroughly inspected the area, both at Huttoft and the surrounding beaches. There is no sewage in the water or on the beaches.
“The picture in her post on social media is of sea algal, which is a natural phenomenon, completely unrelated to sewage.”
Anglican Water
“For clarity, we have no storm overflows along the sea front in this area – there is nothing at Moggs Eye, and waste water from the Anderby Creek Water Recycling Centre is taken to Ingoldmells much further along the coast to be treated.”
The Environment Agency has echoed Anglian Water’s comment, saying: “We have not been notified of any pollution incidents at Huttoft beach over the weekend.
“The Environment Agency receives many reports of suspected sewage pollution every year, at coastal waters in particular, that are in fact the breakdown of algal blooms.
“It is easy to mistake algae for sewage, particularly as both have an unpleasant smell. If people notice brown foam on the water’s surface or on the beach it is more likely to be the result of an algal bloom breaking down.”
The last water quality sample in the area was taken on September 6 and was assessed as “excellent”.
Brits were warned to stay away from 50 beaches across the UK due to dangerous pollution levels last month.
New data by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) revealed a number of beaches around Brighton, Southend, Newquay, Bognor Regis and Skegness were polluted.
The high levels of pollution were caused by heavy rainfall forcing sewage systems to release untreated water to avoid waste backing up, according to SAS.