Swimmers warned away from Plymouth Hoe for second time

Summarised from BBC Devon's report · Updated 10 Oct, 06:00 · Archive

Swimmers have been warned to avoid Plymouth Hoe after a second sewage discharge in a week.

Swimmers have been advised to avoid Plymouth Hoe West and Plymouth Hoe East after the Environment Agency issued a bathing warning following an unpermitted sewage discharge from Plymouth Central Wastewater Treatment Works. The discharge resulted from operational issues at the facility. This marks the second such warning in a week, with bathing having been halted previously following a separate sewage incident.

MP Luke Pollard said 'the situation is quickly becoming a farce' and expressed disgust at South West Water's handling of the matter. He has written to the company's CEO with a six-week ultimatum for investment in infrastructure at the Cattedown plant. South West Water said it was working closely with the Environment Agency and prioritised protecting bathing water quality. The Environment Agency confirmed an investigation is ongoing and stated it expects the company to be 'fully transparent' about remedial action, with enforcement action to follow 'where necessary'. In September, South West Water was fined nearly £8m for pollution-related offences over six years.

Read the report

• Swimmers hit with second sewage warning in a weekOfficials advise against bathing in Plymouth Hoe just days after a previous sewage incident cleared.BBC Devon · 9 Oct, 21:34

In this story: Plymouth Hoe · Environment Agency · South West Water · Luke Pollard · Plymouth Central Wastewater Treatment Works

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem