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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Helena Horton

Ministers have no idea how many beaches in England shut due to sewage

A woman holds her daughter while wearing a gas mask on Tankerton beach, Whitstable during a protest against sewage discharges by Southern Water on 9 October.
A woman holds her daughter while wearing a gas mask on Tankerton beach, Whitstable during a protest against sewage discharges by Southern Water on 9 October. Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

The government has no idea how many beaches in England have been shut due to sewage pollution this year, ministers have admitted.

This summer, scores of beaches across the country were forced to close in high season after raw sewage was dumped into the sea near the coast. Surfers Against Sewage found that in August alone, at least 90 beaches across the country had been sullied by sewage.

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