Harbour saw 1,200 hours of sewage in a month

Chichester Harbour saw more than 1,200 hours of Southern Water sewage spills in a single month

A nature beauty spot in West Sussex saw more than 1,200 hours of Southern Water sewage spills in a single month, it has been revealed.

Chichester Harbour, which is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, had sewage water pouring into the bathing site from 24 October to 23 November.

Campaigners called the spills an “assault on the environment”.

Southern Water said the releases were legal and were caused by overflows amid Storm Babet and Storm Ciaran.

According to the water firm’s data, Thornham has been releasing sewage for 710 hours and five minutes, while the outfall at Bosham shows multiple releases, including one of 281 hours and 24 minutes and another of 213 hours and seven minutes.

'No justification'

SOS Whitstable, a sewage pollution campaign group in Sussex, Kent and Hampshire, said the releases would have a “devastating environmental effect”.

“Despite the heavy rainfall in recent weeks, there can be absolutely no justification over this level of water pollution,” SOS Whitstable member Ed Acteson said.

“Storm overflows are supposed to be used in exceptional circumstances to ease pressure on the sewage network.”

The chief executive of Chichester Harbour Conservancy, Matt Briers, called for “urgent improvements” to infrastructure.

“Chichester Harbour is one of the most important sites for wildlife in the UK,” he said.

“Good water quality is essential for the health of the harbour -particularly for the wildlife that depend on it.”

Southern Water said the longer releases were the result of weeks of heavy rainfall.

“We agree with campaigners and our customers that storm overflow releases are not acceptable and that’s why reducing this is our top priority,” a spokesperson said.

Update 2 February: This article has been changed to remove the word ‘marina’ in the paragraph on sewage releases at Thornham in order to avoid any confusion that Thornham Marina, a privately-owned business, was in any way involved in sewage incidents.