Children ‘play in sewage’ after storms in Torbay

South West Water promise to do better

Sewage from storm water spilled onto Torbay’s beaches more than 200 times last year.

Councillors have heard how children playing in a sewage spill at Goodrington beach in September 2022 ‘didn’t realise why the water was brown.’

Officials from South West Water (SWW) were questioned by the bay’s scrutiny committee in a special ‘spotlight’ session which heard figures for the number of overflows, which are mainly rainwater but contain significant amounts of sewage as well.

The spills happen when heavy rain overwhelms the water network.

Councillors also saw comments from local swimmers, including one who wrote: “I won’t swim in the sea, especially at Meadfoot Beach. It’s disgusting.

“SWW have a job to do. If they can’t do it, then they need to be re-nationalised. The profits they have given to their shareholders should have been ploughed into ensuring that they can do their job and process sewage effectively and efficiently.”

The company’s representatives said they were doing all they could to limit overflows, and had a target to cut them drastically. 

There were 229 spillages in 2022, with the worst locations being Meadfoot (81), Beacon Cove (39), Paignton (37) and Torre Abbey (29). Other beaches with overflows were Babbacombe, Goodrington and Preston.

Cllr Steve Darling (Lib Dem, Barton with Watcombe) said: “South West Water has had a 10.9 per cent increase in dividends to shareholders and a £2 million payment in bonuses to executives, and yet we are being told that to enhance our water quality bills are going to have to go up.

“Are you running more in the interests of shareholders than the users of your services?”

SWW’s director of waste water services Helen Dobby said: “South West Water is working extremely hard to make sure its investment programme is bigger than ever before, and its chief executive was one of the first to forego a bonus.

“We are working incredibly hard to ensure that customer bills are maintained.”

Cllr Darling said he had spoken to a surfer who had warned parents at Goodrington last month that their children were playing in water which contained sewage and sanitary products.

He said better signage advising people to check water quality online before bathing could be needed.

Ms Dobby said the company ‘absolutely hears the message’ that customers demanded fewer storm spills, and a task force had been set up to tackle the problem.