Brits warned to stay away from 83 beaches due to sewage being dumped into nearby waters - including Britain's 'best'

15 March 2023, 12:44 | Updated: 15 March 2023, 13:49

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

Brits are being urged not to swim at nearly 100 beaches after heavy rainfall caused sewage to be discharged into waters.

Campaigners Surfers Against Sewage have warned that swimming in these areas could cause illnesses from bacteria in the water.

There are 83 beach hotspots that Brits are being urged to avoid, including Gorleston Beach in Norfolk, which was recently named the 'best' beach in the country on TripAdvisor.

The beach, which was also named number 12 in Europe, was slapped with a warning by the charity.

It read: "Gorleston-on-Sea became popular in Edwardian times and is still a busy seaside resort. A number of sewer overflows discharge into the River Yare that flows to the sea at the northern end of the beach."

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There's a number of popular beaches on the list, including Southend Jubilee Beach, Sheerness, Folkestone, and Brighton.

Blackpool, Whitstable, Scarborough, Whitby and Seaham are also all on the list.

Some 400,000 discharges of untreated sewage into UK rivers took place in 2020, according the Surfers Against Sewage, as well as more than 5,000 into coastal bathing waters.

The Labour Party has also accused water companies of failing to tackle growing sewage in UK waters.

Jim McMahon, Labour's environment spokesman, said: "Labour will put a stop to this disgraceful practice by ensuring there can be enforcement of unlimited fines, holding water company bosses legally and financially accountable for their negligence, and by toughening up regulations that currently allow the system to be abused."

It comes after data from the Environment Agency showed since 2016, raw sewage has been released into the UK waters for a total of 9,427,355 hours. 

There has also been a 2,553 per cent increase in the number of monitored discharge hours between 2016 and 2021.

Full list of Britain's polluted beaches

1. Dhoon Bay
2. Spittal
3. Warkworth
4. Amble Links
5. Druridge Bay North
6. Druridge Bay South
7. Blyth South Beach
8. Tynemouth Cullercoats
9. Seaham Hall Beach
10. Seaham Beach
11. Seaton Carew North
12. Redcar Coatham
13. Redcar Granville
14. Redcar Stray
15. Marske Sands
16. Saltburn
17. Whitby
18. Scarborough North Bay
19. Scarborough South Bay
20. Bridlington South Beach
21. Heacham
22. Gorleston Beach
23. Southend Three Shells
24. Southend Jubilee Beach
25. Sheerness Canterbury
26. Minster Leas
27. Leysdown
28. West Beach, Whitstable
29. Tankerton
30. Herne Bay Central
31. Herne Bay
32. Sandgate
33. Hythe
34. St Marys Bay (Kent)
35. St Leonards
36. Bexhill
37. Normans Bay
38. Pevensey Bay
39. Seaford
40. Saltdean
41. Brighton Kemptown
42. Brighton Central - Brighton
43. Hove Lawn
44. Littlehampton
45. Bognor Regis East
46. Bognor Regis (Aldwick)
47. Pagham
48. Langstone Harbour
49. Eastney
50. Southsea East
51. Stokes Bay
52. Ryde
53. Seagrove
54. St Helens
55. Bembridge
56. Whitecliff Bay
57. Yaverland
58. Sandown
59. Shanklin
60. Lee-on-Solent
61. Hillhead
62. Cowes
63. Gurnard
64. Colwell Bay
65. Totland Bay
66. Pentewan
67. Dunster North West
68. Weston Main
69. Weston-super-Mare Sand Bay
70. Wharfe at Cromwheel - Ilkley Bathing Water
71. Southport
72. St Annes
73. St Annes North
74. Blackpool South
75. Blackpool Central
76. Blackpool North
77. Bispham
78. Cleveleys
79. Fleetwood
80. Morecambe North
81. Walney Biggar Bank
82. Walney Sandy Gap
83. Walney West Shore