News Council Leader urges South West Water to stop sewage spills

In response to a pollution incident in Exmouth, Councillor Paul Arnott, East Devon District Council's Leader, has issued a statement.

“In February this year, East Devon District Council formally voted to express "no confidence" in South West Water. Many incidents both before and after that decision have fully justified the vote, but the major sewage spill at The Maer last night represents an historic new low. Despite multiple reassurances from South West Water that they have Exmouth under control, they simply do not. This incident not only impacted our residents but also the tens of thousands of tourists that visit Exmouth.

“Our officers and the Environment Agency attended the site as soon as the spill was reported and took direct action to advise residents and visitors not to bathe in the water.  I thank them for their rapid response.  Due to the severity of the spill, today we have had to ‘red flag’ bathing until we are satisfied that any sewage has dispersed.  We are also closely monitoring the impact on one of our car parks.

“As a council, we are meeting South West Water following the vote of no confidence and the ongoing issues with the company. But I urge them to think about their actions and agree a way forward to ensure this does not happen again. 

“We will continue to monitor the situation and will hold South West Water to account.”