Raw sewage released into Dart estuary by South West Water

The Environment Agency has advised against swimming in "Warfleet Creek, Dart Estuary and Dartmouth Castle Cove" after South West Water confirmed the release of "raw sewage into the estuary". 

Caroline Voaden MP released a message from the Environment Agency regarding a "pollution incident affecting the Dart Estuary in Dartmouth". 

She stated that the message from the Enviroment Agency stated: "We’re responding to a pollution incident affecting the Dart Estuary in Dartmouth.

"To protect public health, we have advised against bathing at Warfleet Creek, Dart Estuary and Dartmouth Castle Cove on Swimfo [the Enviroment Agency's map of water quality at designated bathing water sites].

"South West Water has confirmed that a pump failure caused a pumping station to flood, releasing raw sewage into the estuary. The spill began last night and is still happening intermittently, though it has reduced.
Tankers are on site to move sewage directly to the treatment works.

"Contractors are preparing repairs and expect to resolve the issue by noon today, once they can safely access the site with breathing apparatus."

Caroline Voaden MP 

Caroline Voaden added: "The EA is advising you to report any incidents to their Incident Hotline (0800 80 70 60) and to follow the Environment Agency’s social media pages to stay updated with the latest information. 

"You can also visit their website (www.gov.uk/environment-agency) for more information on the kind of incidents we deal with."

A spokesperson for South West Water said: "Our teams have now completed the repair to a burst sewer at our Mayor’s Avenue Pumping Station in Dartmouth. 

“Our teams and tankers will remain on site as we bring the station back to normal operation.”

We have contacted South West Water to ask them how many of these sewage discharges have occurred in the South Hams so far this year. We will update this story as soon as we can.