Five Devon beaches hit with pollution warnings

Chloe Parkman www.devonlive.com

People visiting a number of beaches across Devon are being urged to avoid entering the water due to the risk of pollution or sewage. A map by ocean activist organisation Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) shows that there are a small number of warnings in place across the county.

It comes after swimmers were warned against entering the water at 14 beach following heavy downpours this month. Devon Live previously reported that the main contributing factor to polluted beaches is urban runoff, which sees fertilizers, pesticides, oil, and untreated human and animal waste all entering waterways, such as rivers. They then eventually end up at our beaches.

The contaminated water largely remains on the surface. This can make it dangerous to enter the water. According to Surf Today, some experts even suggest waiting 72 hours before entering the sea again after it rains.

Swallowing water that could be contaminated with fecal matter could lead to gastroenteritis, hepatitis, giardiasis, skin rashes, amoebic dysentery, nose, ear, and throat problems, pink eye, and other respiratory illnesses. Symptoms to look out for include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, inflamed stomach and intestines.

Below, Devon Live has listed all of the beaches which currently have a warning in place. The following information has been taken from the SAS interactive map.

Beer – Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours. Three sewer overflows surround Beer with one discharging from Beer car park, one discharging 600m North East and one slightly further to the South.

Ladram Bay – Bathing not advised today due to the likelihood of reduced water quality. There are no sewer overflows at Ladram Bay but a treated sewage works outfall discharges south west of the beach.

Torre Abbey – Bathing not advised today due to the likelihood of reduced water quality. There is a sewer overflow in the urban catchment directly behind the beach that discharges into the Torre Abbey stream.

Plymouth Hoe West – Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours. There is a sewer overflow that discharges south west of the beach and more are located in the surrounding area which support the city of Plymouth.

Plymouth Hoe East – Storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours. There is a sewer overflow that discharges SW of the beach and a number more in the surrounding area that support the city of Plymouth.

Staff from NHS Devon who are working to tackle domestic abuse and sexual violence have triumphed in this year’s NHS parliamentary awards.

Three parties working together is welcome. – Owl

Adam Manning www.exmouthjournal.co.uk

The NHS Devon team was nominated by three local MPs – Ben Bradshaw, Simon Jupp and Richard Foord.

The award is in recognition of the work NHS Devon has done to improve how GPs and hospitals respond to people who have experienced domestic abuse or sexual violence.

Winners were chosen from nine categories, announced at an awards ceremony in Westminster yesterday (5 July) – the NHS’s 75th birthday. The domestic abuse and sexual violence team at NHS Devon won the Excellence in Primary and Community Care category.

Jane Milligan, Chief Officer at NHS Devon, said: “I’m extremely proud that our local services have been recognised in this way by our local MPs.

“It highlights NHS Devon’s pioneering commitment to tackling domestic abuse and sexual violence and supporting people who are survivors.

“The team have been working incredibly hard to improve the way people can access support and services locally, reducing the risk and giving people the care and support they really need.”

Richard Foord, MP for Tiverton and Honiton, said: “The Excellence in Primary and Community Care award is so very well deserved. The Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence team at NHS Devon has rightly been recognised nationally for their work with partners to provide preventative, early help, support, and recovery services. The NHS Parliamentary Award is very prestigious, and I am delighted that the team has received the recognition they deserve.”

Simon Jupp, MP for East Devon, said: “I am delighted that NHS Devon are receiving national recognition for their crucial work supporting sexual and domestic abuse victims, pioneering a GP-oriented approach which should be considered for other parts of the UK. I’m especially thankful for their amazing efforts in East Devon. They are a credit to our fantastic NHS family.”

Ben Bradshaw, MP for Exeter, said: “I’m incredibly proud to see the team from NHS Devon recognised for their trailblazing work in this area. On the 75th birthday of the NHS, it is a timely reminder of the importance of supporting staff and volunteers so that they can continue to develop such innovative, life-changing ideas.”

Southern Water has said it needs to raise £550 million from its shareholders to shore up its finances.

Robert Lea www.thetimes.co.uk

The announcement came as a ratings agency pulled the plug on the supplier and sewerage group’s dividends by downgrading its £5.2 billion debt to just above junk bond status. Fitch Ratings said this was a “trigger event” under which Southern would be prevented from distributing dividends.

It is the latest scare in a sector in which Thames Water is at risk of falling into administration in a crisis that has cost the jobs of its chairman and chief executive. Thames, which needs to raise £1 billion from its shareholders, is due to give an update on its financial woes on Monday. Southern’s need for new money comes after a £1.1 billion rescue two years ago by Macquarie, the finance house.

Fitch said it was lowering its rating on Southern Water to BBB with a negative outlook from BBB+. It said it had acted as the group’s debts meant it may be unable to meet its investment commitments through to 2025. This risk had been exacerbated, it said, by weak cashflow and high interest rates.

Ofwat has declared that if water companies’ ratings fall to a certain level it will intervene to prevent the payment of dividends to shareholders.

Southern has one of the worst environmental records in the industry and is accused of sewage pollution incidents over many years, from the bathing and sailing waters of the Solent to oyster fields off the Kent coast.

The extreme dangers of setting light to aerosol cans have been highlighted after firefighters were called to a park in Devon following reports of a ‘massive explosion’ and fire. The incident took place yesterday evening, July 6, in a park near St Martin’s in Cranbrook.

Anita Merritt www.devonlive.com 

A local resident told on the town’s community Facebook page that they had seen ‘careless and thoughtless’ teenagers lighting aerosol cans and that it was lucky no one had been injured.

The post published yesterday read: “I am beyond shocked! I am a little bit shaken up that careless and thoughtless acts of a few kids could have easily taken someone’s life or injured someone badly.

“They set light to some aerosols in the big park near St Martin’s and it set fire to the play equipment which then created a massive explosion. Luckily, no one was close enough to be caught in the explosion.

“I called the fire brigade and it is all safe now. But somehow, someway, these kids need to know it’s not okay.

“I am not here to point fingers and blame the parents, but these kids need a lesson or they will end up killing someone and in jail. This has gone past the point of kids being kids!”

A spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were called at around 6.10pm and one crew from Middlemoor attended to extinguish a small fire involving wooden playground equipment with a portable water spray unit.

“We would like to remind everyone that products contained in aerosol cans are often extremely flammable. If the containers are subjected to higher temperatures they can explode, which can be extremely dangerous.

“They should not be left in sunlight or exposed to high temperatures. They should not be pierced or burned, even after use.”