Devon beaches hit with more sewage alerts after heavy rain

Toby Codd

2 October 2024 at 6:49 am·1-min read

Exmouth beach, August 28, 2024 — -Credit: (Image: Mary Stenson/DevonLive)

Beaches and popular swimming spots across Devon have been hit with pollution alerts after the recent rainfall. The county has been battered with downpours and strong winds over the last week.

Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), a charity and campaign group, has warned people to avoid 11 water spots in the county. There is sewage pollution at nine areas while one other is at risk of pollution.

It comes after Devon was battered by severe weather over the weekend. The Met Office issued a rain warning while the Environment Agency warned of flooding across the county.

An interactive map from SAS highlights areas where sewage has been discharged into the sea. This is common after heavy rainfall as storm overflows are used to prevent drains becoming overwhelmed.

A sewage pollution alert means "storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in this location within the past 48 hours". Meanwhile, a "pollution risk forecast" means there is potential for sewage to be in the area.

Sewage pollution alerts are in place at the following locations in Devon:

Mothecombe
Erme Estuary
Bantham
Steamer Quay Dart Estuary
Meadfoot
Sandy Bay
Sidmouth
Seaton
Ilfracombe Hele
Plymouth Hoe East

The following beach has a pollution risk alert in place:

Instow

Wales Online
Northern Lights set to be visible from UK on Saturday October 5 2024 as 'activity increases' - where to see them
Increased solar activity means the lights should be visible for many people
Associated Press
Hurricane Kirk strengthens into a Category 3 storm in the Atlantic
Hurricane Kirk strengthened Wednesday into a Category 3 storm in the Atlantic Ocean and was expected to grow rapidly into a major hurricane, forecasters said. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, and the storm system was not yet deemed a threat to land. Kirk reached Category 3 status on Wednesday, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Associated Press Finance
Thousands of shipping containers have been lost at sea. What happens when they burst open?
Russ Lewis has picked up some strange things along the coast of Long Beach Peninsula in Washington state over the years: Hot Wheels bicycle helmets with feather tufts, life-size plastic turkey decoys made for hunters, colorful squirt guns. If you find a single Croc shoe, you might think somebody lost it out on the beach, he said.
The Telegraph
Ed Miliband announces £22bn investment in ‘unproven’ green technology
Ed Miliband has announced £22 billion in funding for a green technology that has been criticised as expensive and unproven.
The Telegraph
Thousands of parks at risk under Labour’s housebuilding revolution
Thousands of parks, allotments and community gardens are in danger of being built on as part of Labour’s housing revolution.
CNN
Scientists looked at images from space to see how fast Antarctica is turning green. Here’s what they found
Parts of icy Antarctica are turning green with plant life as the region is gripped by extreme heat events, new research shows, sparking concerns about the changing landscape on this vast continent.
CNN
About 100 rescued elephants escape flash floods at popular sanctuary in northern Thailand
Flash floods swept through a popular elephant sanctuary in northern Thailand on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of about 100 elephants and trapping dozens of tourists, amid urgent pleas for help.
HuffPost
Dog Saved From 20-Foot Tree After Being Swept Away In Helene Flooding
"Them finding that dog yesterday was a bright spot in the middle of this chaos,” said a rescue official, nearly a week after the storm decimated the area.
Wales Online
Met Office says 'perhaps some snow' as we brace for tail of hurricane
The forecast is mostly for wind and rain
Watford Observer
Latest Watford weather forecast for coming days, weekend and next week
Watford and much of Hertfordshire has been lashed by torrential rain in recent days – but have we seen the last of it for now?
Glasgow Times
'People will die': Protesters gather outside Scottish Power headquarters
Angry protesters gathered today outside the Scottish Power buildings on St Vincent Street claiming that “thousands will die this winter” as a result of fuel poverty.
The Guardian
Gap in Albanese government’s new fuel efficiency rules means ‘biggest, dirtiest polluters’ exempt
New vehicle efficiency standards (NVES) will not apply to at least four large vehicles, source says
The Independent
Hurricane Helene death toll passes 200 across the six states most devastated by the storm
Hundreds more are still thought to be missing, though many may simply be disconnected from their families due to lack of power and communications, authorities have said
AFP
Downpours touch off landslides, floods in central Bosnia
Heavy rains flooded several towns and touched off landslides that blocked roads and cut off some localities in central Bosnia, according to an AFP journalist.A large part of Bosnia's population is at risk due to heavy floods and landslides, the federal civil protection administration said in a statement.
The Northern Echo
County Durham solar farm reapproved despite concern 'sun doesn't shine enough'
Plans for a new solar development in Spennymoor have been approved for a second time after being reconsidered over a legal issue.
Manchester Evening News
All the UK areas where snow is forecast to fall next week according to Met Office
Snow could fall across parts of the UK
CNN
Lost biblical plant with medicinal properties resurrected from 1,000-year-old seed
A long-lost tree species has new life after scientists planted a 1,000-year-old seed found in a cave in the Judean Desert in the 1980s during an archaeological dig.
CNN
People moved to Asheville to escape extreme weather. They forgot its tragic history.
The destruction reveals this city — like any in America — was never safe, it’s just that memories are short and the climate crisis consistently underestimated.
The Independent
Hurricane Helene is deadliest storm since Katrina as fatalities reach 182
The majority of deaths were reported in North Carolina
The Telegraph
Smokers’ fines overturned after council admits new planters ‘look like ashtrays’
Smokers have had their fines rescinded after a council admitted its newly installed planters “look like ashtrays”.

Latest stories