Blackpool swimmers still urged to avoid sea as tensions grow following sewage spill

Blackpool’s iconic coast remains off limits to bathers wanting to take a dip in the sea following a sewage spill on Monday evening (June 12).

A burst pipe during a severe thunderstorm meant the system was overwhelmed as 1.7 inches (44mm) of rain fell in two hours.

United Utilities said untreated sewage, mixed with rainwater, was subsequently released from its water treatment plant in Fleetwood.

The company said it was carrying out urgent repair work to the pipe, which typically carries water to the sea after it has been treated and cleaned.

“The treatment works is currently running at a reduced rate while engineers plan and carry out the repair work to the pipe which lies nine metres (30ft) underground,” a spokesman added.

“Due to the location and complexity of the repair and to ensure the work is carried out safely, this is expected to take some time while engineers install temporary pumps and 2,000 metres (6,560ft) of overland pipework.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mark Garth, the director of water waste treatment at the firm, insisted the clean-up operation was near completion.

He told the show: “The number of people, number of experts and equipment involved are something that's never been seen before

“We're very close. We're about 95 per cent complete.”

Two weeks on from the spill, the Environment Agency’s ‘no swim’ advisory remained in place all along Blackpool’s seven-mile seafront.

A spokesperson from the Agency said: “While bathing is currently advised against, the beaches along the Fylde Coast remain open.

“We are continuing to regularly monitor water quality along the coast to help inform decisions about when the current advice against swimming can be removed.

“Polluting our seas and rivers is unacceptable and we are carrying out a detailed investigation into this incident along the Fylde Coast.”

Fed up residents subsequently arranged a meeting to discuss the leak and create an action plan to prevent future spills.

The meeting, which was set up on a Facebook group, titled, Action Meeting - Blackpool and the Fylde Coast Sea Users United Against Raw Sewage in Our Seas, will take place on Wednesday (June 28) at 8.30pm at Mary’s Shell Cafe, North Promenade, Thornton-Cleveleys.

A spokesperson for the group said: “What has happened in the last seven to ten days is not an isolated incident, there have been multiple occasions this year where sewage has been pumped into the sea, preventing safe access to the water.

“Please come along even if you feel like you don't understand or don't have much to add to the conversation.

“Every voice matters and we are so much stronger together.”

Activist group Surfers Against Sewage were among the first to raise concerns on June 14 after their tests revealed E. coli was present in the water.

The bug’s symptoms include diarrhoea, stomach cramps and occasionally fever, with a small number of people going on to get more serious and complex conditions.

Appearing on BBC Radio 4, Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams said the issue was “incredibly disappointing and really worrying”.

She added: “We're just at the start of our summer season with some glorious weather and we’re faced with having to put out advisory notices telling people not to go into the sea because of the discharges of sewage.

“It's appalling.”