A RALLY is set to take place on a Sussex beach today in protest of sewage dumps off the coast over the past few weeks.
The Hastings and St Leonards group Clean Water Action says "enough is enough" and has accused Southern Water of putting “profit before people”.
Local residents and sea swimmers will be gathering at 12pm today, Friday 26 by Azur in St Leonards.
On a poster posted online, the group stated that this week marks one year on from a similar sewage incident which saw Bulverhythe beach closed, and the issue is continuing.
The poster reads: "One year on from the leak at Bulverhythe, Southern Water are still dumping raw sewage into our seas, forcing our beaches to close at Bexhill and prompting red flags at Pelham.
"They continue to put profit before people. Last year their CEO took a £500k bonus, despite them spilling 147 times, totalling 1,300 hours, in Hastings and St Leonards alone.”
It also encourages protesters to attend the rally with placards and red flags to represent the red pollution warnings.
Last Friday pollution alerts were put in place for every beach between Brighton and Hastings.
Both Bexhill and Normans Bay way were shut to the public last week due to electrical problems at the pumping station which saw raw sewage discharged.
People in Hastings were also advised by the borough council not to swim in the sea at Pelham Beach because of water pollution.
Following heavy rainfall yesterday, The Argus reported that six bathing spots were hit by discharge - including St Leonards.
A Southern Water spokeswoman said: “Extreme rain can overwhelm the combined sewer and drainage system which exists in many parts of our region.
“To protect homes, schools and businesses from flooding has led to some overflows – releasing excess water into the sea. These discharges are heavily diluted, typically being 95 per cent rainwater.
“We are dedicated to significantly reducing storm overflows and are running innovative pilot schemes across the region to reduce the amount of rainfall entering our combined sewers by 2030.”
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