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Sewage Floods Sea: Misconnected Pipes Pollute Coast
14 Mar
Summary
- Thousands of litres of sewage enter the sea daily due to misconnected pipes.
- A block of 16 flats in Worthing had eight homes discharging waste improperly.
- Water firm uses dye tests to identify properties with sewage misconnections.
Thousands of litres of sewage are being discharged into the sea every day because of misconnected pipes, according to Southern Water. In Worthing, West Sussex, a recent inspection uncovered a block of 16 flats where eight homes' waste was incorrectly entering the ocean. This occurs when sewage is diverted into surface water drains instead of the proper sewage system.
Specialized teams, known as 'Sewage Sherlocks,' are employed to track down these misconnections. They use dye tests by flushing sinks and toilets to determine if a property is connected correctly. If dye appears in the surface water network, the connection is faulty. This investigation can be challenging, sometimes taking days or weeks to identify the source of the problem.
While Southern Water is actively addressing these issues, campaign groups like Surfers Against Sewage have criticized the firm, calling such publicity a 'PR stunt.' Southern Water maintains that poor water quality is complex, with misconnections being a significant contributing factor to contamination impacting bathing water quality along the coast.
