Hello Everyone,
Some of you may have seen the three-part, real-life drama and Channel 4 programme series ‘Dirty Business’, which looks at the experiences of whistle-blowers and the wider practices of England’s water companies.
If you haven’t already seen it, it’s available on Channel 4 catch-up and may be of interest to anyone who would like to better understand how poor wastewater management, can impact our inland and coastal areas.
https://www.channel4.com/programmes/dirty-business
Recent discussions in the media have also highlighted how discharges from treatment works can travel some distance depending on variable influences such as seasons, tides, weather conditions, temperature variations and strong winds & currents. This has been further illustrated by the recent modelled flow patterns, following the Eastbourne micro-bead sewer spill and that severely impacted Camber Sands and Rye Nature Reserve. This serious pollution event drifted as far as Dover — and beyond — and was eventually reported to have impacted areas as far afield as France.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=821941214136820
As many people in Fairlight regularly enjoy sea swimming and beach activities, it’s worth being aware that water quality can be influenced by a range of factors — not just the immediate presence or absence of a local outfall on the beach. Cumulative or repeated, untreated sewage spills can cause plumes and debris from treatment work’s that travel regionally. Spills from treatment works in Eastbourne, Pevensey, Bexhill and Hastings — as well as smaller Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) outfalls along the coast, including Rock ‘A’ Nore — can collectively drift along the English Channel under the influence of tidal currents. At times, this movement can occur quite close to the coastline and affect beaches some distance from the original source.
This post isn’t intended to discourage anyone from using our beaches, but simply to encourage greater awareness, that conditions can vary greatly and that these impacts are also not always so easily reduced by the perceived influences of dispersal or dilution.
If anyone notices anything unusual on the beach — such as sewage debris or pollution — it’s helpful to photograph it and report it to the relevant authorities immediately. (e.g. RDC, The Public Health department or the Environment Agency), including the exact location details. (Longitude/Latitude & What-Three-Words.) When making a report to an authority, please also ask for a reference number.
If you feel strongly about the issues raised in the programme, there are also a variety of organisations and forums where you can find more information or make your views known, by signing any number of different petitions.
Our local beaches are important shared spaces and are highly valued and locally protected under SSSI status. Let’s keep them that way, by staying informed and by helping everyone make their own decisions confidently and by reporting pollution incidences promptly.
Stay safe and best wishes,
M Sullivan
