ENGINEERS remain baffled as to how water has been getting into a sewage pipe which was closed off more than a decade ago.

Southern Water has been working to trace the source of water which has been getting into a disused pipe running from East Worthing treatment works into the sea near Brooklands Pleasure Park.

The water company has said the discharge is clear and not sewerage – easing the fears of residents.

The problem was first identified at the start of April and the company has been working with the Environment Agency as well as Adur and Worthing councils to solve the mystery.

During the night of Tuesday, April 21 engineers sealed off the beach end of the disused pipe to prevent any water passing down it but investigations are continuing as to where the water is coming from. Southern Water is monitoring any build up of water in the sealed pipe with a tanker lorry available to remove it and to take it away for treatment and disposal as required.

A spokesman from the company said that sample water taken from the disused pipe is clear and does not contain any solid matter or any debris such as wet wipes and is not raw sewage.

More tests are being carried out on the samples to help identify what it contains and where it may be coming from.

The firm said that precautionary measures such as restricting access to the beach, putting up warning signs and contacting the public had been considered but were not considered appropriate or proportionate.

A Southern Water spokesman said: “The amount of water getting into the disused pipe from an unknown source has been very limited, resulting in minimal impact on the area immediately around a section of the pipe and, therefore, a very low risk to beach users or their pets.

“It remains a matter of priority to pinpoint the source of the water, allowing action to be taken to address it quickly and effectively.”

Tim Loughton, Conservative candidate for East Worthing and Shoreham, said: “I have requested an urgent meeting to discuss updates on the longer running sea quality issues soon after the election and will provide a report in my next constituency newsletter, providing I am still the MP after May 7.”

BACKGROUND

It is not the first time that Brooklands Pleasure Park has been in the news this year Earlier this week, police divers entered the lake in search of missing father Mark Manning.

The 54-year-old Lancing man went missing in April last year and Sussex Police has since received an anonymous tip-off he has been murdered.

Mr Manning had been making arrangements to meet up with his teenage daughter who lives in Angola around the time of his disappearance last year.

The investigation is still ongoing and Mr Manning remains missing.