Cornwall beaches affected by sewage pollution alerts today

Nearly a dozen beaches in Cornwall have been hit with pollution warnings today (July 10). It comes after sewage was dumped into the sea following heavy rains in recent days.

Charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) has highlighted locations where sewage and pollution can contaminate water through an interactive map. The SAS map warns that storm water has washed up on almost a dozen beaches in Cornwall.

Sewage piles are often blamed on heavy rains, as overflows prevent drainage from being overwhelmed. However, the side effect is sewage reaching the sea.

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According to SAS, a sewage pollution alert means that “stormwater has been discharged from a sewer overflow at this location within the last 48 hours” and a “pollution risk forecast or incident alert” means that there is potential for sewage to be in the area.

According to the Safer Seas & Rivers Service map, the following beaches in Cornwall have sewage pollution warnings from today:

• Seaton (Cornwall)

• Millendreath

• East Looe

• Readymoney Cove

• Pentewan

• Portmellon

• Swanpool

• Polurrian Gulf

• Perranuthnoe

• The Long Rock

• Harlyn Bay

Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) is calling for an end to sewage discharges in all bathing waters and priority natural sites by 2030. In 2023, there were 584,001 discharges in England, Scotland and Wales – a 51% increase on the year previous – with wastewater released into waterways for a total of 12,966,322 hours.

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