Southern Water has launched a new initiative to boost Bexhill’s bathing water quality - the company is taking action to help meet the requirements of tougher European bathing water standards which are now in force.

The water company has joined forces with the Environment Agency and Rother District Council to tackle problems which can affect bathing water quality - mainly misconnections on the surface water sewer network. 

Southern Water Project Manager Brian Rousell commented:

 “Misconnections are where toilets, baths, sinks and kitchen appliances have been connected to the surface water instead of the foul sewers.” 

“This causes pollution of streams, beaches and bathing water as the run-off from rainfall flows straight into the sea – unlike the foul sewers which carry wastewater to the town’s treatment works to be processed.”

In nearby Hastings, Southern Water has already been carrying out a programme of surveys and follow-up work to find the problems. The company is now going to carry out the same exercise in Bexhill by checking hundreds of manholes and properties across the town.

If a misconnection is found, Southern Water will rectify it if the sewer is the company's responsibility. If not, the council’s Environmental Health team will contact the homeowner to discuss what happens next.