A council’s advice not to enter the sea remains in place at the beaches after wastewater was accidentally released following a fault at the Southern Water Wastewater Pumping Station site.
The warnings were put in place on the coast between Ramsgate and Margate in Kent.
A statement by the Thanet District Council said: “Daily calls continue between Southern Water, the Environment Agency and Thanet District Council to assess the impact on the coastline.
“Contractors for Southern Water have carried out beach inspections every day to assess the impact of the spill and to clean up any evidence of debris.
“Council officers are also continuing to carry out visual inspections. The situation is improving, however as there has continued to be evidence of some items being washed up onto the shoreline, the advice, for now, remains in place.”
Southern Water has been at the epicentre of several dangerous leaks into the East Kent coast.
The council’s foreshore team has estimated the advice covers 12 to 15 miles of coastline, including all of the inlets and bays.
People have been urged not to enter the water or the areas of the beach that are below the high water mark.
Inspections are being carried out by Southern Water in the affected areas to assess the impact and to ensure the beaches are properly cleared following the high tide.
The council has said it will “continue to monitor the situation closely” alongside Southern Water and the Environment Agency.
Councillor Ash Ashbee of the Thanet District Council said: “Incidents of pollution on our beaches are not only unacceptable but should simply not happen.
“As soon as I was alerted to this latest incident I spoke with Southern Water’s chief executive to express my extreme dissatisfaction and find myself yet again asking for an explanation.
“I obviously feel the frustration of local residents and businesses and will continue to push for a longer-term and more robust response around the promised improvement and investment in Thanet’s wastewater system.
Fight
“Our coastline and beautiful beaches, arguably our most important natural assets, should not have to sustain continued environmental damage.
“Rest assured this is a fight I will continue to take to the highest possible level.”
Despite the environmental concerns, there have been a number of wastewater releases across Kent this month, including in Folkestone – one of Britain’s busiest ports.
Southern Water said in a statement released last week that there was a fault with the pumps at the Broadstairs Wastewater Pumping Station and the resulting release “was quickly stopped”.
The firm said they committed to inspections at all of the beaches for at least five days following the incident, and longer if needed and they undertook immediate clean-ups in the areas that required attention.
The statement added: “A full investigation will also be undertaken to understand the cause of the fault.
“Southern Water is passionately committed to the environment and part of this is being fully transparent about how we operate.
“We’re leading the way within the water industry with pollution reporting, and the Beachbuoy Bathing Water Portal is part of this.
“We’re also very heavily invested in cutting pollution incidents, reducing them by 75% by 2025. In Thanet, this includes a first-of-its-kind surface water drainage survey for the area.
“Across the Southern Water region, we’re investing £200 million a year for wastewater assets and environmental protection.”
The incident comes after Southern Water was slapped with a record £90 million fine in July after unleashing up to 21 billion litres of sewage into protected water between the years 2010 and 2015.
Last month, it was reported that the firm would have to cough up £100,000 in compensation to Thanet District Council after raw sewage leaked into the sea following a lightning strike on a pumping station.
People were again warned to stay out of the water after the incident in June when the water company’s building at Foreness Point was targeted in the storm.
It caused wastewater to pump into the popular seaside resorts of Margate Main Sands and Joss Bay in Broadstairs.
The leaks sparked anger and prompted protestors to march to the pumping station, while the council bosses slammed the situation as an “environmental and financial disaster”.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people gathered to protest against the sewage being dumped into the sea.
The march happened in the centre of Whitstable on Saturday, following ongoing safety and environmental concerns regarding Southern Water’s continued discharges of wastewater.
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