Residents consider legal action against water company

More than 200 people turned up to the meeting in Exmouth

Traders and residents are considering taking legal action against a water company after concerns about sewage spills.

No-swim warnings were issued in the Exmouth area around the August bank holiday weekend after bathing water quality was affected.

A burst sewer near South West Water's (SWW) Maer Lane wastewater treatment works led to a spill on 15 August, then 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 area.

People were advised not to swim at Exmouth for several days in August

More than 200 people consisting mainly of residents, but also traders and other beach users, attended a meeting on Tuesday night to discuss concerns about the spillages and sewage network.

Representatives from legal firm Leigh Day also attended and spoke to people about joining a group action against SWW.

Nicky Nicholls, who runs the Sideshore eco-hub and helped arrange the meeting, said she felt "totally empowered" after the event.

She said people had been left fed up after what she described as a "string of broken promises" from SWW.

"People feel so strongly, you can see it and hear it in the questions, they are really well-read and understand this issue," Ms Nicholls said.

"This is the most important issue in our town, as access to our sea and our beach is the number one priority for people here."

Nicky Nicholls said it was clear people in Exmouth felt strongly about the issue

Oliver Bainbridge, owner of the Grapevine pub and brewery, said having warnings not to swim was inevitably going to have an impact on the town due to the importance of the beach locally.

He said he decided to attend the meeting because he believes it is time for SWW to hear local voices.

"Ultimately what we want is the problem to be solved," Mr Bainbridge said.

Oliver Bainbridge said people wanted the problem to be solved

Edward Morgan, who runs Red Rock Outdoor - which offers water sport activities in Exmouth, said the no swim warnings had a big effect on his trade.

Mr Morgan, who attended the meeting, said: "We had 80 children on the beach and they couldn't go afloat, we had to find something else for them to do.

"They all missed out on their paddleboarding, kayaking and windsurfing and they were all really upset, it was such a disappointment."

Edward Morgan said one of the recent no swim warnings meant a group of 80 children were not able to get on the water for activities

In February, East Devon District Council passed a vote of no confidence in SWW.

Its leader Paul Arnott said: "Over the last year at least we've been seeking specific reassurances from South West Water that they had got across this and they simply haven't. It's got worse."

SWW said it was "serious about tackling storm overflows" and that "a 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."