Official data shows discharges have taken place since Monday and Southern Water says they have been made to protect homes and businesses. It follows a period of heavy rain across southern England, after a spell of extremely dry weather.
Many of the beaches contaminated are popular resorts, and include Bognor Regis, Lulworth Cove, Newquay, Seaford and Southend-on-Sea. The majority are along England’s south coast.
Southern Water is one of the water companies responsible for those regions, along with Wessex Water and South West Water.
In a statement, Southern Water said: “There were thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain the night before last and yesterday [Tuesday]. Storm releases were made to protect homes, schools and businesses from flooding. The release is 95-97% rainwater and so should not be described as raw sewage. We know customers do not like that the industry has to rely on these [discharges] to protect them, and we are pioneering a new approach.”
Last year Southern Water was fined a record £90m after admitting deliberately dumping vast amounts of sewage into sea across the south coast. These kind of discharges - which are legal - mostly happen after heavy rain, when there is a risk that pipes, which carry storm-water along with sewage, may overflow. This is only supposed to happen in exceptional circumstances. However, in 2020 and 2021, there were almost 400,000 spill events.
How many … 
) in a modernised infrastructure, which means digging up roads. Road closures are not the motorists friend.
