Sea safe for swimming following raw sewage dump (From The Argus)

Sea safe for swimming following raw sewage dump

4:24pm Friday 7th September 2012 in News

A stretch of coast shut after raw sewage was dumped in the sea has reopened.

Southern Water pumped sewage into the sea off East Worthing for more than 36 hours after a fault at its water treatment works.

The resulting discharge on Sunday and Monday meant a nine mile stretch of coast from Southwick to Ferring was closed to swimmers.

The Enviornment Agency today confirmed water samples had not failed water quality tests and declared the water safe to swim in again.

Paul Yallop, Leader of Worthing council and Neil Parkin, Leader of Adur council, said: “We are grateful to the public for their cooperation during this operation and we wish everyone a great weekend in the sunshine.”

The Environment Agency is currently investigating the incident, which Southern water blamed a build up of non-biodegradable waste for the failure of its pumps.

The water company could face criminal proceedings depending on the outcome of the investigation.