Bude swimmers urged to avoid sea pool in sewage fear

A picture of the pool shows a brown foam created from nutrients washed down into the sea by heavy rain.

Swimmers have been advised against using a sea pool after sewage discharges from storm water overflows.

Bude Sea Pool in Cornwall said there was a "health risk" whenever storm water overflows operated.

A picture of the pool on Thursday shows a brown foam created from nutrients washed down into the sea by heavy rain.

South West Water (SWW) said overflows "perform a necessary and very important job" as "legal safety valves to prevent sewers from becoming overloaded".

Widemouth where a storm water overflow discharged sewage into the sea

Bude Sea Pool has been a "haven for free and safe bathing and other water-based activities since the 1930s", according to its website.

But concerns over water quality were raised after discharges of sewage from nearby Widemouth and Summerleaze beaches, said pool chairman Paul Tilzey.

A post on the pool's website on Thursday said: "Bude Sea Pool has advised people not to use the pool for the next few days."

Mr Tilzey said: "There is a health risk swimming in the sea and therefore the sea pool whenever South West Water discharge sewage from their overflows.

"The problem is that South West Water is allowed to do this.

"It should not be happening in the modern world.

"South West Water needs to man up and do something about it."

He added that the brown foam "should be gone" after "another couple of high tides".

Information on the Surfers Against Sewage website, which gets information on sewage discharges from SWW, shows that there was sewage discharged from a sewer overflow in Widemouth "in the last 48 hours".

A SWW spokesperson said: "During periods of heavy rain, storm overflows perform a necessary and very important job by acting as legal safety valves to prevent sewers from becoming overloaded and to avoid sewage backing up and flooding into homes, roads and businesses.

"Precautionary notices were raised at Summerleaze and Widemouth Sand on Wednesday morning following permitted stormwater overflows which were removed later that day as there were no further discharges."