Warnings have been issued to the public to avoid swimming in areas around Dartmouth, Devon, after a sewage spill from a local pumping station. The Environment Agency confirmed that advice had been given for the Dartmouth vicinity following a "pollution incident" at the Mayor's Avenue pumping station, which is managed by South West Water.
Dart Harbour and Navigation Authority has announced that warning signs will be erected at various popular swimming locations, including Warfleet Creek, Dartmouth Castle, and Sugary Cove. The authority stated via social media that the spill commenced at approximately 9:30 PM BST on Monday and that the signs would remain in place until the incident is officially declared over.
South West Water has confirmed that its teams are actively working to rectify a burst rising main at the Mayor's Avenue pumping station. In the interim, tankers are being deployed to transport wastewater to a nearby treatment facility, aiming to minimise environmental impact while repairs are expedited. Richard Stone from Dart Harbour Authority indicated that the issue was an overflow from the pumping station, rather than a burst pipe.
The timing of the incident has been described as particularly unfortunate by Harbourmaster Paul Britton, coming in the middle of the busy summer season when Dartmouth is experiencing a high influx of tourists. He highlighted that a swimming area, which was reportedly full of people enjoying themselves just the day before, has now been forced to close. Britton underscored that tourism forms the core of the local economy, and such events have "the potential to really decimate the summer season."
This latest pollution incident follows a similar problem at the same pumping station in May. Teams, including campaigners from Friends of the Dart, have begun testing water quality at four sites, including the outfall and designated bathing areas at Warfleet and South Embankment, though results are not expected for a couple of days. Davina Luther from Friends of the Dart expressed a desire for "behaviour change" and collaborative efforts to find solutions to such recurring issues.