No swim warning lifted after major sewage spill

The road has been closed while repairs are being carried out

A warning for Exmouth residents to avoid entering the sea after a major sewer spill has been lifted, East Devon District Council (EDDC) confirmed.

South West Water (SWW) said the burst sewer happened on private land in Exmouth on Thursday, next to Maer Lane wastewater treatment works.

On Thursday warnings against swimming were placed at Exmouth beach and SWW said Maer Lane had been temporarily shut as a result.

EDDC said the beach has now reopened and "warning signs have been removed" and it would continue to monitor the situation.

'Historic new low'

EDDC leader councillor Paul Arnott said due to the "severity of the spill" the council had to "red flag bathing" in the area.

He said the major sewage spill at the Maer represented a "historic new low" for the water company.

"This incident not only impacted our residents but also the tens of thousands of tourists that visit Exmouth," Mr Arnott said.

"Despite multiple reassurances from South West Water that they have Exmouth under control, they simply do not."

A spokesperson for the water company said it was using tankers to "transport flows away from the burst location to the treatment works" to allow teams to work on the damaged pipe.

"We will be installing an overland pipe as a temporary solution until a permanent fix can be carried out," they added.

'Working extremely hard'

Speaking to BBC Radio Devon, keen sea swimmer Jo Bateman said the incident was "absolutely atrocious" and "shouldn't be happening".

"Shame on South West Water, it is absolutely disgusting," she said.

Mr Arnott urged SWW to agree a way forward to ensure a similar incident "does not happen again".

"We will continue to monitor the situation and will hold South West Water to account," he said.

A spokesperson for SWW said it wanted to reassure the council and customers it was "working extremely hard" to resolve the issue.

"We understand and appreciate the concerns of the council and our customers in light of the recent bursts in the area," it said.

"We have kept East Devon District Council consistently updated throughout this incident and we will continue to do everything we can to deliver improvements in Exmouth.”