Inquiry launched after two-hour wastewater spill

Southern Water says the spill was due to a "mechanical failure" at the Eastbourne Wastewater Treatment Works

An investigation has been launched after a wastewater spill in East Sussex that lasted two hours.

Southern Water said there was a "mechanical failure" at the Eastbourne Wastewater Treatment Works on Wednesday night.

A spokesperson for the company said the problem was "fixed quickly" in the early hours of Thursday and the spill was released into the sea during high tide.

The company said their teams surveyed the beach and their environmental testing "showed no notable impact to bathing water".

"We're very sorry this happened and are carrying out a full investigation," they added.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency (EA) confirmed it was investigating the wastewater discharge at the Eastbourne site.

"Although we are outside bathing water season, a warning for Eastbourne has been uploaded onto the Swimfo website," they added.

The EA said their officers continued to monitor the incident.