Unworthy of Worthing
WaterBriefing reports that for 14 hours on Sunday 2nd September many tonnes of untreated sewage was pumped into the sea at Worthing due to a “technical error”. According to Southern Water the pumps had become blocked the previous evening due to a build up of non-biodegradeable waste, so it was pumped to sea in order to prevent the backing up and flooding of nearby properties.
Southern Water and the Environment Agency worked with Worthing Borough Council to bring to the public the danger by using red flags on the beach to warn the many summertime beach users not to enter the sea.
Gareth Bates, from the Environment Agency, said “We will remain on-site to ensure that all action is taken to prevent further risk to the beach and coastal area and we will oversee the clean-up operation. A full investigation into the incident is currently underway as well as all our efforts being focused on reducing the risk of pollution to the coastal area.”
