Two beaches have now reopened in Sussex after untreated sewage was released into the sea.
Beaches between Bexhill and Normans Bay, Sussex were closed due to “significant” electrical issues at a pumping station, supplier Southern Water said.
Although both have now reopened, data from Southern Water as of Friday, showed a pollution alert was issued for every beach between Brighton and Hastings, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Nearby Hastings borough also advised people against swimming in Pelham Beach due to the pollution risk.
Although many of the closed beaches have now reopened, Southern Water said it was “deeply sorry” and “understand the seriousness and the distress this causes”.
Beaches in #Bexhill, #NormansBay and #Hastings remain closed after raw sewage is pumped into the sea https://t.co/l4FstkiKYC pic.twitter.com/8yywwTKgVV
— BBC Radio Sussex (@BBCSussex) August 19, 2022
The statement added: "Following Rother District Council’s difficult decision to advise the closure of Bexhill and Normans Bay beaches on Wednesday afternoon, we are pleased to confirm that the council has advised on reopening the beaches on Saturday morning.
"The pumping station at Galley Hill remains in full operation. However, we continue our complex investigations, while maintaining our mobile generators on standby to prevent this happening again, and continuing staff monitoring 24 hours a day.
"We are continuing beach walks and litter picking throughout the weekend - so far we are finding very little.
"Again, we are deeply sorry for this incident and we understand the seriousness and distress this has caused."
Local MPs have written a joint letter to Southern. This read: “In addition to the obvious environmental and community impact, the closure of popular beaches and restrictions on inland waterways causes financial loss to the numerous businesses who rely on our beaches and rivers.”
Pressure group Surfers Against Sewage have previously derided the level of sewage being discharged into British seas.
Brighton and Hove council leader Phélim Mac Cafferty said: “Southern Water needs to stop the sewage and pay for an immediate clean-up. But they also need to do much more to stop this from happening again."
