Saltdean: Southern Water quashes sewage concerns after sea turns brown

Concerns were raised that sewage had polluted a bathing spot near Saltdean after murky water was spotted on Saturday afternoon.

But the water company has clarified that the water was not caused by a sewage outflow and the waters are safe to swim in.

It comes as Southern Water faces continuous scrutiny about sewage spills as bathing spots are periodically polluted by overflows.

Aerial photos of the Portobello outfall near Saltdean yesterday afternoon showed brown water collecting along the raised sewage pipe and spreading out towards the Sussex coast.

But Southern Water said the murky waters had been caused by sediment being pushed up against the pipe at low tide.

A spokesman for the water company said: "We’re aware of photos being shared on social media this morning of the outfall pipe at Portobello Wastewater Pumping station and the suggestion there has been a wastewater release.

"We take any suggestion of possible pollution very seriously and immediately investigated how our services in the area were performing.

"We can confirm there have been no issues with any of our operational sites in the area and there has been no release of wastewater from the outfall.

Murky water surrounding the pipe (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)

"We believe the photos show sediment from the sea bed which has been disturbed by wind and tidal movement and pushed against the barrier formed by the outfall at low tide.”

“Customers can get near real-time information about any of our bathing water outfalls through our Beachbuoy service.”

The concerns from residents come amid constant pressure on Southern Water to clean up their act on sewage discharges into bathing spots.

Campaign groups such as Surfers Against Sewage have called for action on sewage outflows as it was revealed Southern Water sewage outflows lasted 300,000 hours in 2023.

The water company says it is investing in its infrastructure to try and tackle the problem.