OPEN water swimmers are being warned to avoid locations across the Sussex coast after sewage was emptied into the water following last week's storm.
The high winds and heavy rain seen last week has led to sewage being emptied at ten popular beach locations over the last 48 hours.
The data is provided by the charity Surfers Against Sewage, which has created an interactive map tracking real-time CSOs (combined sewage overflows) and PRFs (pollution risk forecasts).
Part of the charity's Safer Seas and Rivers Service, the map is also available via a mobile app which provides real-time notifications.
It monitors the water quality at over 400 locations around UK rivers and coastlines.
Alerts are triggered when sewage has entered the water within the last 48 hours.
It also shows which beaches are clear, those which do not have information available due to being out of season, and the sewer systems in the location which are under maintenance and the water company has temporarily disabled alerts.
A spokesman for Surfers Against Sewage said: "The regular discharge of raw sewage into our local waters represent an immediate danger to the health of all water users. We advise water users to avoid the area immediately around discharged pipes for at least 48 hours.
"Raw sewage if ingested at best can cause severe sickness, at worst a very harmful infection or even death, all of this in the face of tougher water regulations that are being taken out of the coming up Environment Bill soon to be repeated in Parliament, we urge all MPs to strongly reconsider their current course of action"
These locations have all seen sewage emptied into the water over the last 48 hours:
1. Bognor (Aldwick)
Pollution Alert: Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.
Aldwick is a predominantly shingle resort beach with some sand exposed at low tide. The beach is backed by beach huts and a promenade with a pier just to the east. There are eight sewer overflows spread out across the length of this beach with several more to the east and west.
2. Bognor East
Pollution Alert: Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.
The beach is predominantly shingle with some sand exposed at low tide. A promenade sits above the beach and there is a pier to the west. The Aldingborne Rife crosses the beach at the eastern end of the bathing water where two sewage treatment works outfalls discharge - Lidsey sewage treatment works is 5km upstream from the bathing water and Tangmere sewage treatment works is 9km upstream.
Additionally, there are three surface water outfalls (Norfolk Street, York Road and Albert Road) in the area which may reduce water quality particularly after heavy rainfall. There is also a sewer overflow that discharges into one of these surface water outfalls and two further sewer overflows that discharge into the Aldingbourne Rife.
3. Felpham
Pollution Alert: Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.
Felpham is a shingle beach broken by groynes with rock pools and sand exposed at low tide. The beach is backed by a footpath and the Aldingbourne Rife river runs through the western end of the bathing water. There is a sewer overflow that discharges through a long-sea outfall and another that discharges into the river.
4. Littlehampton
Pollution Alert: Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.
Located in front of a well developed seaside resort, Littlehampton is a long, gently sloping, predominantly shingle beach broken by groynes. Shelving sand is exposed as the sea retreats. The beach is backed by a promenade and edges on the western side by the River Arun. One sewer overflow discharges into the mouth of the River Arun while two more discharges 500m upstream of the Arun. There is a final sewer overflow some 2km to the east of the beach.
5. Lancing
Pollution Alert: Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.
Lancing, Beach Green is a shingle beach with a gently sloping sand area exposed at low tide. Boulder breakwaters and wooden groynes protect the beach which is backed by beach huts and a grassy area. There are no sewer overflows discharging directly into the bathing water but there is one 200m east below the high tide line and several more discharging into the Teville Stream and the East Worthing sea-outfall two kilometres offshore.
6. Southwick
Pollution Alert: Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.
Southwick beach is a thin peninsula of predominantly a groyned, shingle beach but with some sand exposed at low water. The River Adur exits the harbour at the western end of the bathing water separated by a concrete breakwater. Alerts for this beach will be triggered by any releases within the Shoreham to Newhaven area.
7. Saltdean
Pollution Alert: Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.
Saltdean is a village suburb to the east of Brighton, on the Sussex coast of the English Channel. Between the groynes, the gravel beach slopes steeply at first but levels off with more sand towards low water. Alerts for this beach will be triggered by any releases within the Shoreman to Newhaven area.
8. Bexhill
Pollution Alert: Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.
Bexhill, also known as Bexhill-on-Sea is a traditional South Coast resort beach. It is mainly shingle with shallow sand flats exposed at low tide and backed by promenade and the town. There are 15 sewer overflows in the Bexhill area. 5 discharge into the Egerton Park Stream, 140m west of the bathing area, a number discharge directly onto the beach while several more discharge onto the beach 2km either side of the bathing water.
9. St Leonards
Pollution Alert: Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.
St Leonards is predominantly shingle, with shallow sand flats exposed at low tide. The bathing water is vulnerable to pollution because it is located in a large rural and urban catchment of Combe Haven river and Hollington Stream.
10. Hastings Pelham Beach
Pollution Alert: Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours.
Hastings is a long, sloping, shingle resort beach with flat sand exposed at low tide. The beach is backed by a promenade and the town of Hastings. There is one sewer overflow located at Hastings that discharges directly onto the beach and another that discharges through a long-sea outfall pipe approximately six kilometres west of the bathing water.
Last week there was widespread anger after Parliament voted to allow water companies to dump raw sewage into Britain’s rivers and seas. A total of 265 MPs voted in favour, with 202 against.
Among those whose constituencies include the locations of the above beaches who voted in favour of the clause to the Environment Bill were: Bognor Regis and Littlehampton Conservative MP Nick Gibb, and Hastings and Rye Conservative MP Sally-Ann Hart.
MPs who voted against the clause included: Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham Tim Loughton, Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle Huw Merriman, and Labour MP for Brighton, Kemptown Lloyd Russell-Moyle.
Keep up to date with sewage alerts using the map here www.sas.org.uk/map/.
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