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Environment Agency to investigate spill that left 14 miles of coast closed to bathers
The Environment Agency (EA) has launched an investigation into a sewage spill that led to a 14-mile stretch of coastline being closed to bathers around Blackpool.
United Utilities (UU), one of Britain’s largest water companies, says it is carrying out urgent repairs to a burst pipe at its Fleetwood treatment works in Lancashire, after heavy rain led to raw sewage being released into the sea.
Eight beaches along the Fylde coast, including Blackpool and St Annes, have been closed for bathing until further notice.
Visitors, residents and MPs have expressed their fury over the spill, while local businesses fear it will damage trade as the summer holidays approach.
United Utilities was responsible for 69,000 sewage spills last year, a total of 425,491 hours – a duration 47 per cent longer than the second-worst offender, South West Water.
The Environment Agency has promised “tough action” over the Blackpool incident.
“Polluting our seas and rivers is unacceptable and we are carrying out a detailed investigation into this incident. We take tough action against those who pollute and will take appropriate enforcement action, as required,” it said.
As part of its investigation, the EA will look at the timeline of how the incident unfolded. It has emerged that UU, which serves more than three million homes and businesses across the North West, knew about the burst pipe 48 hours before making it public.
The “recently installed” underground pipe burst at 6am on Sunday, causing Fleetwood treatment works to operate at reduced capacity.
UU said that a downpour of nearly 40mm of rain in two hours on Monday evening led to the system being “temporarily” overwhelmed, resulting in “untreated sewage, mixed with rainwater” being discharged into the sea.
But locals have expressed anger that there was no public acknowledgment of the burst pipe until Tuesday, when UU and three councils – Fylde, Blackpool and Wyre – warned against swimming at the affected beaches.
Neil Trickett, who runs a local wildlife business, told i: “The water company are a law unto themselves… I think they need to be brought to task.
“That’s our waterway, we’re still having to pay massive bills, we will have to pay for it because they’ve ballsed something up.”
One bather at Blackpool Beach told the BBC: “I would never gone if I had known.”
Martin Hunns, who runs Carousel diner near Cleveleys beach on the Fylde coast said the closure was already hitting the tourist trade.
“We had a customer come in and say there’s nobody on the beach whatsoever,” he told i. “Normally on a day like today it would have been packed.”
Cat Smith, Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, said she was “absolutely disgusted” by the leak. She told the BBC: “[UU] are one the worst offending water companies for pumping raw sewage out while their bosses get huge salaries and massive bonuses with the bill-payers having to pick up the tab. I’m furious.”
The company is using tankers to take sewage from the Fleetwood treatment works to other sites while it builds a 2,000-metre temporary overground pipe.
Mark Menzies, Conservative MP for Fylde, said that UU bosses were “confident” the pipe would be repaired by this Sunday.
Last year, UU said that a programme of investment in just 15 of its 575 treatment works would reduce spillages “by more than 10 million tonnes a year – the equivalent of 4,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools”.
Which beaches are closed?
Blackpool Council, Fylde Council and Wyre Council are advising pepole that the should not swim at the following beaches until further notice:
- Bispham
- Blackpool Central
- Blackpool North
- Blackpool South
- Cleveleys beach
- Fleetwood
- St Annes
- St Annes North
A UU spokesperson said that it reported the burst pipe to the Environment Agency as per our usual process”.
They added: “The EA then determines what action it expects to be taken and it is the EA’s recommendation on what bathing-water-related advice is given to the councils, who then make the decision to implement and promote that advice to the local community.”
A spokesperson for Wyre Council, which takes in Fleetwood and Cleveleys, said: “We were informed by United Utilities of the discharge into the sea in the early hours of Tuesday morning. United Utilities made their announcement on Tuesday morning and we followed with ours immediately after.”
Blackpool Council and Fylde Council were contacted for comment.
