Sea pollution warning after sewage pipe burst

Bathers have been warned to stay out of the sea between Hill Head and Lee-on-the-Solent

Beachgoers have been warned against swimming off a two-mile (3km) section of the coast after a sewage pipe burst.

The Environment Agency (EA) said the rupture happened near Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire, on Tuesday night and the pollution was stopped in the early hours of Wednesday.

Fareham Borough Council said the bathing water was closed as far as Hill Head until further notice.

Southern Water said flows through the pipe had been stopped and repair work was ongoing.

In a statement, the EA said: "Our officers have been monitoring Southern Water's repair to a sewage line which burst last night.

"As a precaution, we issued guidance against bathing at Lee-on-the-Solent.

"We will update Swimfo [a government website] when bathing advice is lifted."

Southern Water said: "We temporarily stopped flows through the problem pipe and used tankers to ensure customers could continue to use their toilets, sinks and showers, while repairs have been carried out.

"This work is ongoing, with traffic management in place. We apologise for any disruption caused.

"In close liaison with the EA, we are carrying out detailed modelling of any potential impacts on bathing water quality nearby."

Separately, Gosport MP Dame Caroline Dinenage said she was investigating claims of sewage pollution in other incidents at Lee-on-the-Solent and Hill Head.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, she wrote: "Southern Water insist that there were no sewage discharges, despite pollution warnings from Surfers Against Sewage. Both cannot be true!"

The MP published a letter from the water firm, written on Monday, which said there had been "no releases affecting the bathing water" in the two locations since 7 June.

Southern Water's Rivers and Sea Watch page shows there was a 49-minute discharge at Hill Head on that date.

On Wednesday evening, the page said there had been "no recent release" at the four outfalls in the area.