Our picturesque seaside town is being ruined by disgusting sewage – it’s being pumped into the ocean
LOCALS in a picturesque seaside town say their home is being ruined by disgusting sewage – which is being pumped into the ocean.
The residents have even banded together in an attempt to try to protect their coastline – which endured a whopping 202 sewage releases in the last year alone.
The Kent town of Whitstable swells with visitors in the summer, and those who call the area home love it.
But, they say one thing is ruining their village – sewage is being pumped straight into the sea by Southern Water.
Which is why they’ve come together and formed an environmental group called SOS Whitstable.
Local Sal Burtt-Jones, who co-founded the non-profit organisation, broke down whether or not the sewage dumping was legal.
She told Good Morning Britain: “If you look at their permit, yes.
“However, if you go back to the Waste Water Treatment Act which says they can only release in exceptional circumstances, then they are absolutely not abiding by that law at all.
“Of course, pumping out untreated sewage will have chemicals, microplastics, toxic waste which is killing local biodiversity – when actually Southern Water are walking away with thousands of pounds of salaries and bonuses.”
But it’s not just campaigners who are worried about their coastline.
Local swimmer Robin Bartlett said he and a friend went for a dip in the sea the other day – and fell ill in a matter of hours.
He said: “There’s a big swimming community and people thought the sea was safe.”
The town is also home to a busy fishing port, and is famous for its oyster and its whelks.
But businesspeople – like Terry Braine – say the sewage is even causing issues for the industries.
The farm manager at the Whitstable Oyster Trading Company, said: “We have times of the year when we cannot produce oysters and bring them to market.
“In 2021, we were closed over the summer months which is our busiest period so that’s a large loss of sales for the company.”
Environment Agency data showed that the number of Southern Water spills for 2022 was down on the year prior.
‘STILL ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH’
Toby Willison, Southern Water’s Director of Environment and Quality, said: “Today’s official Environment Agency data for 2022 shows a fall in overall storm overflow activity and we are already exceeding the government’s expectations for spills per overflow.
“However, we know this still isn’t good enough and are working extremely hard to drive down storm overflows.
“Following the success of small-scale, innovative nature-based and engineering solutions which slow the flow of surface water into our sewer system, we are now looking to roll these out more widely over the next two years.
“Larger construction projects have also made a big difference, including a new 11km sewer pipe in Brighton, which along with two associated pumping stations and a wastewater treatment works, ensures that the 95 million litres of wastewater from Brighton and the surrounding areas in full treated.
“Our digital monitors now cover 98.5% of our outfalls and will hit 100% by this time next year. We will continue to report our progress in a transparent and open way.”
It’s not unusual for people living in beautiful towns to open up about what it’s like living there.
Locals in North Yorkshire this week revealed a bizarre eyesore was ruining their much-loved beach.
Residents living in a seaside town where The Bay was filmed also recently revealed there is a sinister underbelly.
Meanwhile, townspeople in Dorset opened up about their fears their houses will lose value.