Beachgoers at a popular beauty spot in Cornwall were left shocked as a large section of the sea turned brown.
A local surfer captured footage of the incident at the stunning Trevaunance Cove in St Agnes, sharing a clip of the discoloured sea on social media where it quickly went viral. Many feared that it was a result of a sewage spill, after several sewage warnings were issued for the north coast of Cornwall on Sunday.
Environment charity Surfers Against Sewage warned against storm sewage at the location along with several others, releasing a pollution alert which read: "Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours." A South West Water spokesperson also initially blamed storm overflows for the incident, as reported by Cornwall Live.
The spokesperson said: “Following heavy, localised rainfall this morning (Sunday, October 30), a permitted storm overflow triggered at Trevaunance Cove in St Agnes, Cornwall. Storm overflows are designed to release excess storm water into rivers and seas when a prolonged rainfall occurs to prevent the risk of sewage backing up and flooding homes and public spaces by allowing a controlled release."
However, local MP Cherilyn Mackrory debunked claims that the discolouration had been caused by sewage, saying that testing had revealed another cause behind the incident. Following a meeting with DEFRA ministers, the Truro and Falmouth MP confirmed to Cornwall Live: "I have just been informed by officials that following rigorous testing this morning, it has now been confirmed that the brown colouring of the sea yesterday at St Agnes was NOT from sewage.
"Testing has confirmed that the brown colouring was run-off from the fields on top of the cliffs following heavy rain. I am glad it was not sewage, but any pollution/spills in our sea is unacceptable," she added. "I will continue to discuss this incident with South West Water, the Environment Agency and Government ministers."
As the new information came to light, South West Water issued a new statement which read: "While the storm overflow at St Agnes triggered briefly on Sunday (October 30) following heavy rain, this was a short duration spill and is unlikely to have caused the level of discolouration shown in the video. On this occasion, we believe there were other factors which contributed to the discolouration, such as mud in the water dislodged by the heavy rain flowing into the area from a nearby stream and runoff from agricultural land."
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