The Environment Agency (DEFRA) has issued a pollution risk warning for Viking Bay beach today (August 1) and is advising against going into the sea.
The warning follows water testing for Escherichia coli and Intestinal Enterococci.
This is the third time since the beginning of July that the beach has been red flagged, resulting in a loss of beach-goers and an impact on the businesses and concessions that rely on them.
Andy Webb, who has run Kent Surf School with wife Gemma since 2005, says the hit on businesses is huge but there is nowhere to turn for compensation over lost income.
Added to that is the affect on reputation when businesses have to cancel and turn customers away.
Today, Andy has had to cancel a morning session of 12 customers and another 12 person session this afternoon.
The dad-of-two said: “The red flag is going up due to water quality (issues).This is the third time and it is affecting businesses hugely. Numbers of people on the beach are down, people aren’t visiting.
“Defra shuts the beach but no-one is compensating businesses. They tell you to write letters to the council but that doesn’t put money in my bank account.
“Having to cancel people at the last minute is embarrassing and the loss in footfall is huge.
“With 40mph winds and rain predicted for tomorrow that will probably cancel out the next couple of days too, the water gala has already had to (postpone).
“We are a seasonal business, April to September, and we have to take advantage of people coming here during that time.
“The red flag means I can’t take people out on the water as a surf school and health and safety business. And it is not just cancelling lessons, people aren’t coming to the beach or hiring equipment and then there is the effect on reputation which is a major thing.
“I have had to cancel just over £1000 worth of lessons today and that’s not including hire and my instructors that have lost earnings.
“Who will compensate me and other businesses?
“We don’t want to shout about it because we want to encourage tourism here but we can’t keep letting this happen without some sort of recourse, we have all got to make a living but there is nothing to help small businesses with the huge impact of this.”
Sadly, weather conditions mean the Broadstairs Water Gala, scheduled for tomorrow, has also had to postpone until later in the month, meaning a further loss of custom to the beach.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Throughout the bathing season, we make daily pollution risk forecasts for a number of bathing waters, where water quality may be temporarily reduced based on factors, such as heavy rainfall, wind or the tide. When a temporary reduction in water quality is forecast, we issue a pollution risk warning and advice against bathing.
“This enables bathers to avoid times or locations where the risk of pollution is higher than normal, and health risks from bathing may be higher than the annual classification suggests.
“Members of the public should report environmental concerns to us on our free 24-hour incident hotline, 0800 80 70 60.”
Advice against bathing is advisory and public access to the beach and the bathing water remains open.
The Environment Agency says it is not aware of any specific problems related to the local sewerage system in this area and this is a routine warning based on its forecasting system.
The Environment Agency makes daily pollution risk forecasts on the Swimfo website to inform bathers about the water quality. Warnings are posted on its water quality website: Swimfo
A Thanet council spokesperson said: “In response to a pollution risk warning issued today (Tuesday 1 August) by the Environment Agency, the council has displayed signs advising against bathing at Viking Bay in Broadstairs.
“These signs are displayed to advise the public that water quality is likely to be reduced so they can make an informed decision whether to swim.
“Water quality testing is carried out by the Environment Agency between May and September each year. The results are publicly available on the Environment Agency’s website. The council has signed up to the Environment Agency’s Pollution Risk Forecast scheme (PRF).
“As part of this, water quality testing takes place at designated bathing water sites in England and is assessed by the Environment Agency. From May to September, weekly assessments measure current water quality and, at a number of sites, daily pollution risk forecasts are issued.”
Hi,
It’s a shame Southern Water are allowed to commit crime without punishment. But that may be about to change. Nature groups including RSPB amount to 20 million UK citizens are mobilizing.
As for E coli. That pathogen only survives a week in water. Not so with some other pathogens.
Salmonella Typhi up to 7 years
Cholera a week
Tetanus a year
Weil’s disease a few weeks
Norovirus several months
Polio poss 3 weeks
Giardia 2-3 months
Time to join up and support @sasuk and @goodlawproject to bring about an end to this wanton vandalism.
It’s an Environment Agency warning not a Southern Water sewer release
Well Escherichia coli and Intestinal Enterococci don’t just appear out of nowhere, but from raw sewage. It’s against the law for water companies to release raw sewage except under ‘exceptional circumstances’. And that doesn’t include water company incompetency (that’s completely normal).
Yes, I was just making clear that this wasn’t a sewage release today and the warning was via the EA
i would not risk going in the water in thanet . its an open sewer
Swimming at Ramsgate Main Sands was fine today. Not too rough.
How disgusting and when will this all end as it feels like it is every few weeks!
Disgusting raw sewage in our beaches clean our water not waste 55£million on a unwanted train station Thanet council
Back handlers and so called investment homes 30 years living in Thanet and never been so bad highest unemployed highest crime highest pollution highest lack of funds for support funding it’s a con
Every time I go in the sea I am ill and loose days off work, stopped going now and put a pool in my garden, thankfully not on a water meter.
Note that your water supply bill and your sewerage bill are seperate on the Southern Water invoice. You are entitled to refuse to pay for a service that you are not receiving. Southern Water undertakes to take your sewerage, treat it, and dispose of it according to law. For years they have failed to do that, and you can refuse to pay them on the grounds of failure to comply with their service obligations. There is a huge amount of evidence that they are not complying with their obligations. Refuse to pay. Cite non-delivery of the contracted service. When they threaten bailiffs tell them they cannot do so as you are in dispute.
If you agreed to buy a service and it was not provided, you wouldn’t pay. Southern Water have not provided the service that they were legally obliged to provide. Don’t pay. It’s the only recourse we have to a monopoly provider that is evading its legal responsibilities.