A GREEN MP has said “people are swimming in literal sh*t” as she hits out at water companies following sewage sea dumps. 

Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion, has described the recent incidents of sewage being pumped into the water off the Sussex coast as “utterly outrageous”.

It comes after The Telegraph reported on Friday that every single beach between Brighton and Hastings was polluted with raw sewage following heavy rainfall.

In some cases beaches were forced to be closed due to the issue. 

Beaches at both Bexhill and Normans Bay had to be shut due to "significant" electrical problems at a pumping station last Tuesday.

People in Hastings were also advised by the borough council not to swim in the sea at Pelham Beach because of water pollution.

Yesterday, the Liberal Democrats reported that Southern Water was found to have failed to install a Event Duration Monitors (EDMs) at Littlehampton Pier and the one in Seaford was working only a third of the time.

The Argus: Caroline LucasCaroline Lucas (Image: Caroline Lucas MP)

Ms Lucas said: “Utterly outrageous that every single beach between Brighton and Hastings has been pumped with vile raw sewage - yet people are swimming in literal sh*t without realising, because privatised, profiteering water companies can't even do their job and monitor water pollution properly.”

A spokesman for Southern Water told The Argus: “Southern Water has led the industry in the role out of monitors for its CSO outfalls – we now have 99 per cent coverage and are on course for 100 per cent coverage by next March.

"We can confirm that monitoring is in place in Seaford, Littlehampton and Lee on Solent.

"Furthermore our Beachbuoy app shows in near real time 365 days a year any events on any outfall with the possibility of impacting any of the 84 bathing waters on our 700 miles of coastline."

The Argus: Bexhill beach was closed last week due to sewageBexhill beach was closed last week due to sewage

Following reports in the Independent that all wastewater companies had missed their targets for tackling pollution and sewage spills, Ms Lucas called UK water regulator Ofwat “impotent”.

She said: “Burst pipes, polluted waterways, dumped raw sewage - water companies are over-paying to shareholders & under-delivering to the public. 

“Impotent regulator Ofwat has been letting these companies off the hook for years - the sooner they're brought back into public hands, the better.”