Campaigners against extending the sewage works at Portobello near Telscombe Cliffs were jubilant yesterday when we revealed the result of the long public inquiry into the scheme.

Environment Secretary John Prescott has followed the advice of a planning inspector and rejected Southern Water's application.

But the unanswered question is what should be done with Brighton and Hove's sewage in a week when the city hit the headlines for having dirty seas.

Southern Water went for expanding Portobello because that's where sewage has been pumped out to sea for more than a hundred years.

If the scheme had been approved, the water off Portobello would have met current EC guidelines.

Now there will be a long wait while the water company looks at finding alternative sites. It will not be an easy task.

Already people at Newhaven are getting ready to oppose any bid to build a treatment plant in their town.

Any other site along the coast between Brighton and Telscombe Cliffs is likely to cause an even bigger fuss while inland sites are almost certainly out of the question.

The champagne glasses may be chinking at Telscombe Cliffs today but the next site selected by Southern Water could cause even more problems.