‘Completely unacceptable': Stay out of the sea warning issued after sewage leak on Kent coast

A council has slammed a water company after it was forced to extend a warning for people to stay out of the sea on the Kent coast due to a sewage leak.

Canterbury City Council criticised Southern Water after its Brook Road Swalecliffe pumping station malfunctioned and caused wastewater to enter a brook.

Officials had initially warned people not to enter the sea between Tankerton and Studd Hill but this has been extended to include Herne Bay.

Southern Water said it expected the impact of the incident to last for up to 48 hours but the council insisted it would not drop the warning until it was "completely satisfied the sea is safe".

Canterbury City Council said: "It goes without saying what has happened was completely unacceptable and we will be demanding an explanation from Southern Water about what has gone so badly wrong."

Southern Water said its specialist teams had fixed the fault and the Brook Road Swalecliffe site was now running as usual.

It added in a statement: “We have notified the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Local Authority and will continue to work with them and our regulators in the coming days to assess and mitigate against impact to the environment.

“Our teams were on site at first light to carry out beach walks at Herne Bay, Tankerton and West Beach.

“Minimal signs of any waste were found. A full clean-up is underway along the affected stretch of brook and we will undertake any work that is necessary.”

In July, Southern Water was fined a record £90 million after bosses admitted dumping sewage illegally thousands of times over a five-year period.

The company pleaded guilty to 6,971 unpermitted sewage discharges – the equivalent of one pipe leaking continuously for seven years.

Tonnes of sewage polluted rivers and coastal waters in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex between 2010 and 2015, a court heard.

Passing sentence, the Honourable Mr Justice Johnson said, of the formal 51 guilty pleas, that the company’s behaviour had been “shocking”.

Watch: 'Cover-ups' at the heart of Southern Water scandal