Some people in parts of the UK will be swimming in fecal water and bask on sewers as untreated sewage has been discharged by water companies into the sea along England’s south coast and has reached some swimming spots.
The BBC reported that a number of discharges have been made since Monday, with a company called Southern Water saying the discharges are meant to protect homes and businesses.
In a statement, Southern Water said: “There were thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain the night before last and [Tuesday]. Storm releases were made to protect homes, schools and businesses from flooding. The release is 95-97% rainwater and so should not be described as raw sewage.
“We know customers do not like that the industry has to rely on these [discharges] to protect them, and we are pioneering a new approach.”
According to the BBC, Southern Water was fined £90m (over K90 billion) last year after admitting deliberately dumping vast amounts of sewage into the sea across the south coast.
The discharges have since left some popular resorts contaminated.
Speaking to the BBC, landowner Johnny Palmer, who owns an area along the River Avon where there is a swimming spot, complained about the discharge and described it as a disgrace.
“You’ve got children swimming. And you know, you can’t tell your kids to not drink the water. So you’ve literally got children drinking sewage, which is the kind of thing you might expect in parts of Africa or India, but, you know, Western Europe,” he said.
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