Sewage discharge overflow: Water pollution warning for Blackpool, Cleveleys and St Annes beaches as swimmers advised to avoid the sea

A live interactive map shows seven beaches – from Cleveleys to St Annes, are currently unsafe to swim in.

Fleetwood and Morcambe were also listed last week, but have since cleared according to the map published by Marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS).

SAS monitors water quality across the nation to alert the public to areas affected by sewage. They say swimming in these areas could lead to infections and illnesses caused by bacteria and viruses in the water.

Why do we get sewage in the sea?

A £200m investment into the Anchorsholme Pumping Works has improved bathing water quality since 2015, leading to four beaches achieving Blue Flag status.

But extended periods of heavy rain has had an impact on other sources of foul water, and obsolete waste water pipes installed in older houses put pressure on the sewage system.

Paul Maynard, Conservative MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys, said the storm overflows are largely down to ‘increasing mixing of rainwater with household sewage as gardens have been concreted over in past decades’.

Mr Maynard said: “Rainfall should not be discharged into a on-street waste water system for which it is not designed – it is meant to sink away naturally. This is a particular concern across the Fylde, especially on areas of housing dating from the fifties to the seventies where building companies connected to waste water pipes in a way that building regulations no longer permit. Sustainable Drainage Systems are now mandatory on newer developments, reducing the pressure on the sewage system – which has a disproportionate benefit locally.”

Pressure on the Government

Fylde Liberal Democrat Cllrs Karen Henshaw and Joanne Gardner have campaigned to stop the sewage dumping in the sea and say it’s ‘wrong on so many levels’.

Cllr Gardner told Blackpool Gazette: “To find out that our beautiful beach is included in a warning about sewage dumping is very disappointing. Our local rivers and seafront are so important for our health and well-being and for the marine-life that frequent them. This can be stopped but the Govt. along with our local MP have refused to impose measures on the water companies to stop it. In fact horrifyingly they have voted to allow this to continue for a further 15 years.”

Water companies should be ‘held to much more stringent standards’

Mr Maynard said that more pressure should be put on the water companies, and that they should be ‘held to much more stringent standards’.

He added: “I share the view that water companies can and should act quicker. At the same time, eliminating these overflows also requires much tougher punishment for future illegal and unregulated domestic connections into surface drainage networks which are not designed to take domestic stormwater - no fault of the homeowner but developers in years gone by”.