Holiday heartbreak as sewage alerts close 22 Welsh beaches to swimmers
Health fears rise as 22 Welsh beaches declared unsafe due to sewage
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Sewage pollution warnings have swept across Wales, with Surfers Against Sewage alerting the public to avoid entering the water at 22 beaches after recent discharges.
The charity’s “Safer Seas & Rivers Service” has flagged popular destinations like Tenby, Saundersfoot, New Quay, and Langland, explaining, “everything we flush down the loo or wash down the drain that is released into the environment through sewer overflows, or that washes off the land and roads.” This comes amid a Bank Holiday when beaches would typically be crowded, but instead, locals and tourists are urged to stay away due to the risk of illness from contaminated waters.
Recent figures reveal that Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water released sewage into rivers, lakes, and the sea for more than 968,340 hours last year, with 118,276 separate discharges—averaging more than one spill every five minutes.
Surfers Against Sewage reported receiving 1,853 sickness reports through its app last year, with 331 people needing medical attention and 79% of those cases attributed by doctors to sewage pollution.
“The sheer lack of ambition shown by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to reduce pollution shows they have no shame over the catastrophic levels of sewage they are spewing into Wales’ beautiful coastline, rivers and lakes,” said Giles Bristow, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage.
Natural Resources Wales is currently investigating a pollution incident near Tenby, where a burst pipe led to sewage entering the River Ritec and flowing to the sea, prompting the declaration of an “abnormal situation” at several beaches.
The water company attributes the high discharge rates to the prevalence of rural communities served by smaller sewerage networks and storm overflows, and has pledged £2.5 billion over five years to improve the environment, including £889 million for storm overflow upgrades.
Environmental groups, however, argue that the UK ranks among the worst in Europe for coastal water quality, with campaigners and wild swimmers expressing concern over the frequency and impact of sewage discharges on both public health and the environment.