Sewage released near Peacehaven just days after Southern Water fined £90m

Sewage was released into the sea near the Peacehaven and Saltdean area just days after Southern Water was fined £90m for illegally dumping waste into the waters, according to an MP.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, MP for Brighton Kemptown, raised the incident with the chief executive of the water company during a meeting last week.

It comes after a judgement found Southern Water had dumped between 16bn and 21bn litres of untreated sewage into delicate ecosystems, including Chichester Harbour, over a six-year period.

Mr Russell-Moyle said: “I pointed out that in the last seven days, after the judgement, there had been another release near Peacehaven/Saltdean of raw sewage, they told me this was due to a blockage that was not expected but couldn’t assure me of how they were going to stop this being repeated.”

A Southern Water spokesman said this was ‘an emergency release’ as a result of the build-up of unflushable items which affected its operations.

“A three and a half minute release from Peacehaven wastewater treatment works happened on 13th July,” the spokesman said.

“This was as a result of equipment which passes wastewater flows through to the treatment beds becoming blocked with wet wipes, sanitary towels, nappies and other debris.