Blackpool seaside sewage spill was 'isolated incident'

People had been told to avoid paddling or swimming in the sea after sewage leaked into it

Damage to a water pipe which led to a spillage of raw sewage on a stretch of coastline was an "isolated incident", councillors have been told.

People in Blackpool were told to avoid the water after a major pipeline burst at a treatment works during a storm in neighbouring Fleetwood on 12 June.

Untreated sewage mixed with rainwater was released into the sea from the overwhelmed United Utilities plant.

"Millions of pounds" has been spent repairing it, the council heard.

Clare Nolan-Barnes, head of coastal and environmental partnerships for the authority, said officers had recently met United Utilities to discuss the incident.

She told a meeting of the council's climate change and environment scrutiny committee: "We believe it was a one-off incident.

"We are confident that United Utilities are on it and as far as we are aware it was an isolated incident."

Untreated sewage, mixed with rainwater, was released into the sea

Results from the testing of bathing waters this year are not due until the beginning of December, but a report to the committee said several sources of potential pollution remain - including a risk from seabirds, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The birds flock in particular around places where there is food waste left behind, with North Pier and areas of the Spanish Steps on the Promenade previously highlighted.

A report to the committee read: "The Environment Agency has advised that sea birds continue to present a pollution risk to bathing waters.

"Blackpool Council has made links to utilise radar data and analyse bird impact during the bathing season."

In December 2022, Blackpool joined other local authorities in signing the Motion for the Ocean pledge to protect seawaters, alongside other environmental campaigns.

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