Multiple dog owners have reported their pets becoming seriously ill after playing in the sea at a popular Devon beach, days after South West Water confirmed it had sent hundreds of tankers of sewage to an overflowing pumping station nearby.

liveapp.inews.co.uk 

On Friday i revealed that the water firm had been transporting up to 240 tankers full of sewage per day to a pumping station in Exmouth for several days around New Year’s Day.

According to locals, much of the waste that was being transported to the pumping station has ended up directly in the sea as they say the site does not have capacity to deal with the additional sewage.

During times of exceptional rainfall, water companies are allowed to discharge untreated sewage into bodies of water through points known as combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to prevent the system from becoming overwhelmed and sewage backing up in peoples’ homes.

Real-time data provided by South West Water showed that the Exmouth pumping station was already overflowing into the sea when the additional sewage was being transported to it.

Now several dog owners who spent time on the beach in the days leading up to January 1 say their pets have fallen ill after playing in the water, with some having to fork out more than £1,000 in vet bills.

South West Water said there are many reasons why people or animals can become sick by swimming in the sea, including agricultural run-off, animal faeces or simply swallowing too much seawater.

While the bathing water quality in Exmouth has been rated as “Excellent” by the Environment Agency, the water is not tested all year round. On Saturday, the agency warned swimmers not to enter the water due to pollution.

Edward Thomas, who walks his dog Rusty on the beach at Exmouth most days, told i his pet started “vomiting bile” on the night of 30 December.

“I’ve had loads of ill dogs throughout my life. This wasn’t an ordinary dog illness,” he said.

Mr Thomas was advised by his vet to take Rusty to the veterinary hospital in Exeter where he received an emergency injection of probiotics. The visit cost Mr Thomas £255.

“It’s without a shadow of a doubt from the beach. We didn’t take him anywhere else between Christmas and New Year. There is nowhere else he could have picked it up from,” he said.

Mr Thomas said his vet told him they had seen “a lot” of these incidents over the past week and that it was most likely the beach where Rusty had picked up his illness.

“It’s an absolute disgrace. Quite frankly it should be illegal for any water company to discharge untreated sewage into the sea,” he said.

Keith Hilton, who moved to Exmouth at the start of last month, also noticed his dog falling ill after spending time on the beach on December 31.

“On New Year’s Eve I took Alaska, who was until now a healthy six year old German Shepherd, for a walk on the beach near the Lifeboat Station,” he told i.

Mr Hilton said Alaska started showing signs of being ill a few days later and by Friday last week had “stopped eating and was having diarrhoea”.

He took Alaska to the vet and she was given an injection, which helped her over the weekend.

But she has fallen ill again this week and is currently being kept in by the vet as they run tests. He has spent £1,850 on vet bills to date.

Mr Hilton said he is “very concerned” about his dog and will never walk her on the beach again.

Several other locals have reported their dogs becoming ill after swimming in the sea over the festive period on a local Facebook group.

South West Water regularly transports sewage from other parts of Devon to a treatment centre in Exmouth.

However, on 30 December, the firm began temporarily dumping waste at a pumping station in the town, which does not treat the sewage, after a sewer burst in Exmouth.

The water company said flooding prevented it from taking the waste from the burst sewer to the treatment centre. But i has seen video evidence filmed at the same time the sewage was being transported that suggests the roads were clear.

South West Water is no longer transporting waste to the pumping station, but locals are still concerned about the amount of sewage being brought to the town’s treatment plant.

When the local sewage network is over capacity, sewage can end up being spillt directly into the sea. Data provided by South West Water shows sewage overflowed from one pumping station in the town for four days between 4 and 8 January this year.

On Saturday the Environment Agency issued a pollution alert warning bathers not to enter the sea at Exmouth due to sewage. The warning remained in place until Monday.

Mr Thomas said South West Water should have done more to make locals aware of the incident.

“There should be some way of them saying: ‘we’ve had to do it and these are the reasons why we’ve done it’. At least the public wouldn’t feel lied to and betrayed. It would then give the public the opportunity to avoid the beach or not let their dog swim in the water,” he said.

South West Water said it was the responsibility of beach managers to put up signage.

In an update on Tuesday, a spokesperson said the firm is no longer using tankers to transport waste from the burst sewer.

He said: “We understand that this is an important and sensitive matter for residents in and around Exmouth. As part of our ongoing programme of work under WaterFit, we are investing £38m in Exmouth up to 2030 to help make the improvements we all want to see.”

Increased sewage pollution, urban flooding and water supply interruptions are the result of a decade of failures by the Conservative ministers, according to water experts who are demanding an independent inquiry into water be set up by the next government.

Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com 

The repeated failure of the Tories to implement rules to create “sponge cities” has led to much more visible sewage pollution, more flooding and increasing instances of water being cut off for householders and businesses, they say.

Alastair Chisholm, the director of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, said: “These rules should have come in in 2011. They were canned by Eric Pickles in 2015 and we have had 13 years of delays. This has been kicked down the road and what is going on now is the result of that.”

He spoke as the institute published a comprehensive report at Westminster, which calls for the next government to order an independent investigation into water companies, who stand accused of widespread pollution and profiteering, and the regulators, who have failed to robustly control the privatised industry.

“Over 30 years on from water privatisation, with widespread urbanisation and agricultural intensification, a fresh approach – including potential reform of water regulators – is needed,” the report says.

“With levels of trust in water companies impacted by repeated reports of pollution and profiteering, both public and water practitioners want more transparency and assurance that companies are acting in the interest of society and the environment.”

The authors of the report interviewed professionals working in the water and environmental industries. Overwhelmingly, they expressed widespread dissatisfaction over water company ownership and operations. Just 6% of the experts questioned were supportive of a continuation of the current approach to ownership, corporate governance and regulation.

The report calls for the Conservative government to finally implement rules to create sponge cities after a decade in which ministers have delayed and attempted to scrap the plans. Sponge cities are urban zones with multiple areas of greenery, trees, ponds, soakaways, pocket parks and permeable paving to allow water to drain away. They also include measures to store rainwater and runoff, such as widespread use of water butts.

Increased runoff from rainfall overwhelms water company sewage systems, which have not been maintained and improved by water companies as a result of under-investment. The extra water increases the likelihood of raw sewage being discharged, while hard surfaces in towns and cities increase the risk of flooding.

In its latest business plan, Thames Water says by 2015 London had seen the biggest decrease in plant cover in front gardens of anywhere in the UK, with five times as many front gardens with no plants compared with the preceding 10 years.

This increased the burden on sewers and the risk of pollution, the company said.

But the Conservative government has repeatedly failed to implement rules under schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, which mandated developers to install sustainable drainage systems in new developments. Conservative ministers have argued the requirements will be too costly for developers.

The Guardian revealed last year that at least 10% of donations received by the Conservative party since 2010 came from property developers, real estate tycoons and others connected with the construction industry.

Public outcry over sewage pollution, and revelations about water companies’ abuse of storm overflows to dump raw sewage into rivers, which should only take place in exceptional circumstances, have forced the government to look again at schedule 3. But as yet it has not been made mandatory for developers.

“Sponge cities are not a new concept and are being delivered internationally to manage demands for growth amidst water – typically flood and drought – crises,” the report said.

“In the UK we have our own water crises spanning these same challenges of either too much or too little water, as well as pollution.

“Greening our urban spaces is a win-win approach on all these fronts. We must flip the mindset that treats rainwater as a waste product to be got rid of in the urban environment, into one where it is a treasured resource.”

The report, which polled 4,000 members of the public, found 71% of people in England believed water company profits should be restricted because of performance concerns. Two-thirds said companies made too much profit.

Simon Jupp supports the latest proposals.

Local campaigners are back at square one. – Owl

Philippa Davies www.sidmouthherald.co.uk 

A fresh debate has opened over the location of Tipton St John’s new primary school, after a site in Ottery St Mary was put forward as the preferred option.

The Department for Education (DfE) has assessed sites in Tipton and outside it, and recommended the Thorne Farm site off Exeter Road, near The King’s School. This site was rejected by East Devon District Council in 2021 because that plan also included a large housing development to help finance the school rebuild. Now that Tipton Primary is on the priority list for the Government’s School Rebuilding Programme, with a promise of funding, the housing is no longer needed.

The proposal to rebuild Tipton Primary in Ottery St Mary is being supported by the school governors, the Executive Headteacher of the Otter Valley Federation and the local MP Simon Jupp. They all agree that if the DfE didn’t think any sites in Tipton were suitable, it’s vital to go ahead with the Ottery recommendation so that the safe new school can be built as soon as possible.

But local councillors, who have also campaigned for the rebuild for many years, argue that Tipton Primary School should remain in Tipton as it is part of the community, and they’re asking for the DfE report to be made available to the public.

The recommendation for the Ottery site was announced by Simon Jupp MP on social media at the end of last week. He published a letter to Devon County Council’s Cabinet member for Schools, Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, urging the council to ‘progress decision making without delay’. The county council is responsible for providing a suitable site for the school.

His letter said: “As MP I must support the option that will achieve the earliest possible of a new safe school. While it is regrettable that the DfE did not recommend sites in Tipton St John to be suitable, the priority must be the safety and security of the school and its children and hard-working staff.”

The school’s Chair of Governors Sarah Walls and Executive Headteacher Amanda Fulford have also published a letter in support of the Ottery site. They point out that the DfE report is not a decision-making document, and ‘aims to focus on issues of project deliverability rather than to consider any local policy or strategy priorities of each site’. With the funding in place and a ‘slot’ in the School Rebuilding Programme, they are keen to move forward with the plans for a ‘deliverable’ site.

The county councillor for the Otter Valley, Cllr Jess Bailey, doesn’t agree. In a social media post she said: “This change in position by our MP came as a huge shock to me, and I would imagine to many residents of Tipton and the surrounding area.

“Of course the primary function of the school is education, but the school also lies at the heart of the Tipton community and has done for generations.

“As the Devon County Councillor for Tipton St John I have always believed that all avenues must be explored to try to retain the school in the village. I have arranged to meet with DCC senior officials and Cllr Andrew Leadbetter to discuss the contents of the DfE report later this week.

“As far as I am concerned it is essential that the DfE report is put in the public domain as a matter of urgency. I feel this is vital so that residents, parents and town councillors can consider its contents.”

South West Water says they have finished installing a temporary pipe that will divert flows around a damaged section of sewage pipe in Maer Lane.

Adam Manning www.exmouthjournal.co.uk 

They say they will now focus on making a full repair at the sewage treatment plant on Maer Lane. Tankers which was transporting sewage from the site over the weekend have now been stood down. 

Exmouth beach is now also back open to swimmers, after being closed for four days following an Environment Agency ‘bathing not advised’ notice as tankers transported sewage from the Maer Lane site to the storm overflows on Exmouth seafront. The re-opening is partly down to tankers have now stopped transporting.

A full statement from South West Water said: “We have successfully finished installing the temporary pipe which will divert flows around the damaged section, so we can turn our attention to making a full repair.

“This progress means we no longer need to use tankers to transport flows from the pipe and these have been stood down. As a precaution, we will have some tankers remain on standby in case we experience further issues. As a small amount of tanker transport is part of the day-to-day running of the site, this will continue as normal but that is always the case.

“We would like to again thank residents for their continued patience whilst the works are taking place and we are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.

A burst pipe on December 30 caused South West Water to transport sewage in tankers so the burst area is clear for its teams to focus on repairing. 

South West Water says it initially had to tanker to Maer Road Pumping Station because of flooding on the route to Maer Lane Sewage Treatment Works but since this route has become clear they have been transporting the waste to Maer Lane.

A power outage at Maer Lane Sewage Treatment Works earlier in December resulted in what the Environment Agency called “non-compliant spills,” and another burst pipe in Exmouth on December 12 which also required tankers to transport sewage.

The Environment Agency also confirmed their investigation has started with a full team planning to visit the site of the damaged pipe as a matter of urgency.

It said: “We are aware of the issue at Exmouth pumping station. We are investigating what has happened. Officers have attended site and are closely monitoring activity, as well as working with South West Water to ensure the pumping station is back in operation as quickly as possible.”

‘2024 has been particularly poor for South West Water’ Simon Jupp writes in this week’s press.

[He has been “monitoring their progress closely” since last June, obviously not closely enough as he now tries to “cover his back”]

Owl deconstructs his article which rehashes arguments he has published before.

He continues:

We all want healthy seas and rivers. Across our part of Devon, people I talk to are rightly angry at South West Water’s lack of investment. It’s an anger that I share.

The start of the year has been particularly poor for South West Water.

Exmouth has faced three major incidents in a month resulting from failures in South West Water’s infrastructure and lack of investment in the town. They’ve been using tankers to take sewage from damaged pipes to a recently overflowing pumping station. The situation has been completely unacceptable.

Following South West Water’s continued failures in Exmouth, I met with South West Water’s Chief Operating Officer, John Halsall, and the Environment Agency’s Area Director for Devon, Mark Rice, in Exmouth to challenge the water company on their handling of the ongoing incident in the town. I visited Maer Lane Sewage Treatment Works and the site of a damaged pipe in a nearby field. I also met with residents. Despite South West Water’s failures, I want to thank their ground teams and contractors who’ve faced unacceptable abuse.

[Last May Simon chaired a meeting of the region’s MPs with South West Water’s Chief Executive. They were updated on what the company is doing to get a grip on sewage spills. Simon reported: “things are moving in the right direction, and not before time.” Source here.]

[Rearrange these words to form a phrase: “Pulled, your, eyes, wool, over” ]

South West Water previously indicated to customers that the use of tankers would stop on 3rd January as they planned to complete the installation of a replacement temporary sewer pipe. At the time of writing on Monday 8th January, the temporary pipe is finally in action and tankering has stopped. This has undoubtedly taken too long and local residents are fed up, angry and disappointed in South West Water.

During my visit last week, I challenged South West Water on the timescales for a permanent solution and repeated my calls to speed up plans for £38m investment in Exmouth. They can’t take our town for granted again.

As investigations continue into this sorry state of affairs, I am continuing to work with the Environment Agency, Ofwat, and the Water Minister. Every option must be on the table in response, including hefty fines.

This is the first government in history to crack down on sewage spills. As your MP, I have never voted to legalise or allow more sewage to go into our waters. Why would I? I live by the sea in Sidmouth. My constituency office is by the sea in Exmouth. I love where we live.

[Fact check alert Well Simon it is true that you didn’t actually vote to pollute our water, but you did vote against imposing a legal duty to stop it, instead voting for something very much more “light touch”. Described as “Too little, too late” from the Rivers Trust below.]

In a perfect world, we would stop all sewage spills immediately. Sadly, stopping storm overflows – relief valves which are meant to only be used when the sewerage system is at risk of being overwhelmed – tomorrow would lead to sewage backing up into people’s homes and streets. People who tell you otherwise and claim your bills wouldn’t rise astronomically to fix it, are not being straight with you.

 [Note this is pretty much what he said in March.]

I voted for a proper plan – paid for by the water companies. I voted for legally binding duties on water companies through the Conservative government’s Environment Act 2021 to reduce discharges from every single storm overflow and eliminate all ecological harm.

[Note this is the scheme the rivers trust describe as Too little, too late : “ Far from revolutionising the sewer system, as the plan claims, this plan aims to claw its way back to what should have already been ‘business as usual’ by 2050 – with sewer overflows operating only during exceptional rainfall events by that time. This should be the current situation, and yet we are living with 2.6 million hours of overspills in England.”]

We also now have the data to hold water companies to account. In 2016, the proportion of storm overflows monitored across the network was 5%. This government required all water companies to fit monitors to storm overflows by the end of 2023, which was achieved. Now, Ministers are forcing water companies to make data about spills from storm overflows available to the public as they happen. I voted for that, too.

[But see: Water Companies Break Promise on Sewage Spill Maps]

Following a debate I secured in Parliament last year, South West Water announced a new multi-million-pound package to upgrade Sidmouth and Tipton St John’s sewer system, and reduce phosphorus pollution at Axminster Kilmington waste water treatment works. I’m trying to secure another debate in Parliament to continue my calls for investment across East Devon, and push for Sidmouth and Tipton’s investment to be sped up.

[Note: These are the local “oven ready” schemes cobbled together in the Ofwat/Defra “accelerated infrastructure delivery project for English Water companies”. Owl has already discussed the lack of clarity of who foots the bills under the heading: This raises the $64,000 question, who is paying for this: SWW; the consumer or the Tax Payer? ]

East Devon residents in our beautiful coastal communities including Exmouth, Sidmouth, Seaton, Budleigh Salterton and Beer pay the highest sewerage bills in the country. We deserve better from South West Water.

Remember Margaret Thatcher privatised water companies in 1989 and the government wrote off all debts amounting to £5bn and granted the water companies a further £1.5bn of public money, known as a “green dowry”. – Owl