New sewage alert issued for Godrevy beach

The sewage alert is the fourth this year for Godrevy

Beach users in Cornwall are being warned of another overflow of sewage into the sea at Godrevy.

The sewage alert - issued by South West Water (SWW) - is the fourth this year in the area.

It comes less than a fortnight after a surf competition was postponed at the National Trust-owned beach, due to a sewage overflow.

SWW said sewage holding tanks could overspill in heavy rain and that it "could affect bathing water quality".

The last overflow caused the 10 Boards event to be postponed.

People at the beach for the competition described paddling through "10 metres of brown water".

SWW said it issued the alert after heavy rain on Monday.

It added it took "proactive steps through our online BeachLive service to alert beach managers to these situations during intense rain storms, so they can act accordingly and help beach users make informed decisions as to whether to swim or surf".

The company - which provides water for Cornwall, Devon, plus parts of Dorset and Somerset - said it had spent more than £2bn on cleaning Devon and Cornwall's bathing waters, with an extra £20m this year.

"Unfortunately, during periods of intense rainfall, the system can sometimes become overloaded," it said.