Traders consider South West Water legal action

Nicky Nicholls said business owners are sick of the problems caused by sewage spills

A number of businesses in a Devon town are considering taking legal action against South West Water (SWW) over sewage spills.

Traders based in Exmouth said spillages in August and September which led to no-swim warnings being issued at the town's beach had a significant impact on business.

A burst sewer near SWW's Maer Lane wastewater treatment works led to a spill on 15 August before the Environment Agency said a discharge from a storm overflow was reported on 2 September.

SWW said it was "serious" about tackling sewage spills and was investing about £38m in the Exmouth area up to 2030.

Nicky Nicholls, who runs Sideshore eco-hub, a community interest company (CIC), said she was coordinating the legal action and incidents had driven tourists away.

Ms Nicholls said: "The impact is business is down, the car parks were empty and the beach was empty - it's devastating.

"The beach is an amazing asset which is the most beautiful part of Exmouth that is just being taken away from us and, frankly, we're sick of it."

Debra Quine said South West Water is not doing enough to fix the issues

Debra Quine, who runs the Bumble and Bee cafe business in the town, said sewage spills had been impacting Exmouth for a long time.

She added it felt like SWW was just putting a sticking plaster over the issue.

Ms Quine said: "Why would you spend money to come to a seaside town when you can't go on the beach and you can't go in the water?

"We've been patient with South West Water. They've promised to fix the infrastructure and they just haven't."

'Investing in upgrades'

SWW said it was investing millions of pounds into the town over the next six years to help reduce the number of sewage spills.

A spokesperson said: "We are serious about tackling storm overflows and change of this scale takes time, ambition, and increased investment.

"We are investing around £38m in the Exmouth area up to 2030, which includes upgrades to our pumping stations and treatment works, to significantly reduce the number of spills and further protect the environment."