GREEN councillors have called on Southern Water to take greater action and investment to put an end to sewage spills.

Councillors from Brighton and Hove City Council raised concerns after repeated reports of untreated sewage being dumped into the sea off the coast of Saltdean.

While sewage overflows are often utilised following heavy rain, the councillors said significant investment in drainage would reduce the incidences when this would occur.

Councillor Elaine Hills, member of the council's environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: "It’s clear that there are real alternatives to the practice of negligent sewage dumping that causes harm to our bathing water quality, as well as to our fragile marine ecosystem and conservation areas.

"Residents want to know that companies like Southern Water are part of the solution, not the problem.

"We invite them to invest in sustainable water management locally and to explain their plans before councillors and the public, in order to ensure illegal sewage dumps are a thing of the past.

"Private companies have the future of our water systems in their hands – and we need them to be held to account, and to work with local communities to help us tackle the problems we all face."

She also said that the council has been pushing for sustainable urban drainage systems to become the norm, with new council developments such as Victoria Road including systems to help recycle rainwater to support green spaces.

Last year, Southern Water received a £90 million fine after pleading guilty to thousands of illegal discharges of sewage into rivers from Sussex through to Kent and Hampshire, which caused major harm to conservation sites and protected areas.

Dr Nick Mills, head of pollution and flooding resilience at Southern Water, said he welcomed the councillor's calls for sustainable drainage and that reducing storm water releases are "key priorities" for the company.

"The construction of the Peacehaven treatment works and associated storm tunnels at the turn of the century drastically reduced releases in the Brighton area and all four local beaches meet the ‘excellent’ standard.

"This is in part due to the 100 million litres Peacehaven treats on an average day doubling in rain and the 150 million litre tunnel between Brighton and the works which acts as a storm tank.

"The Green Party has put its finger on the real challenge – preventing rain from entering the sewer system.

"Digging up every street constructed before the 1980s to separate surface drains from roofs and roads is an expensive and disruptive option.

"Our storm overflow task force is carrying out five pathfinder projects across the region to demonstrate how catchment and nature based solutions including soakaways, rain gardens and swales can reduce storm releases by 80 per cent by 2030.

"The reduction may seem ambitious but 30 years ago only 41 per cent of the 83 beaches in our region met the acceptable standard. Today 80 are good or excellent and none are below acceptable."

Dr Mills said he would welcome the opportunity to brief councillors and Green MP Caroline Lucas on their work to reduce pollution, and said that the company "has a big role to play in protecting coastal waters but only by working in partnership can real change be delivered."

Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01273 021 400.