Bathing warning at beaches across Kent and Sussex

West Bay in Westgate was closed on Saturday after heavy rain and has another warning not to swim on Monday

There are warnings not to swim at seven beaches in Kent and Sussex after heavy rain, the Environment Agency (EA) has said.

Swimmers are "discouraged" from entering the water on Monday at Tankerton, Herne Bay Central, West Bay in Westgate-on-Sea and Margate Fulsam Rock in Kent after heavy rain.

In East Sussex the public are advised not to swim at Hastings Pelham Beach, St Leonards and Bexhill due to the weather.

Additionally five other beaches - Deal Castle, Dymchurch and Littlestone in Kent as well as Worthing Beach House and Bognor Regis Aldwick in West Sussex - have warnings in place "for an extended period due to poor water quality", the EA said.

Thanet District Council said Monday's warning was as a result of heavy rain and the potential impact on water quality at its beaches at Westgate and Margate.

"It is not linked to the discharge of storm waste water by Southern Water", which closed 14 beaches in Thanet on Saturday, a council statement added.

A total of nine of those beaches reopened on Sunday, with the final five reopening on Monday morning.

The EA's warning on Monday came from standard monitoring carried out throughout the bathing season.

An EA spokesperson said: "Specialist officers give the warnings or make daily pollution-risk forecasts where water quality may be temporarily reduced.

"This enables swimmers and others to avoid times or locations where the risk of pollution is greater than normal."