BEACHGOERS are concerned after sewage from a toilet “gushed” into the sea.

Waste was spotted spilling out of pipes underneath Worthing pier into the water below on Saturday afternoon.

Mark Goulding, who lives on East Worthing seafront, was walking along the pier with his wife when he noticed the leak.

“We saw something pouring down off the pier into the water, it smelled terrible,” he said.

“We looked over and saw this stuff coming out of the pipes. It’s not the first time I’ve seen it coming out there. I made sure to report it to the beach office.”

Mr Goulding said he was worried how the toilet leak would affect swimmers and families nearby.

He also noticed a dirty slick on the water when he visited the seaside on Sunday afternoon

He said: “I was shocked. Worthing is supposed to be a seaside town based around our beaches, why would people want to come here if our water’s dirty? There were events on, there was the food festival. I love the seaside, there were so many people here over the weekend.

“But Worthing council needs to get its act together on monitoring water quality.”

According to Environment Agency figures, bathing water in Worthing is “sufficient” - the lowest acceptable rating.

But seawater is measured at the seaside near Heene Road junction, almost a mile away from the pier.

A spokesman for Worthing Borough Council said there was “not much to see” as it was a “small leak”.

He said: “A leak was spotted running from a toilet in the amusement arcade. This toilet is now out of use and the leak will be fixed today, the first time the tides allow.”

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said it was aware of the incident.

“We have contacted Worthing council’s environmental health team,” he said.