South West Water has now completed a temporary repair to a burst sewer pipe at its Maer Road pumping station which resulted in raw sewage spilling into the sea off Exmouth beach from its Maer rocks Combined Sewer Overflow.

Both the local council and the Environment Agency (EA) issued warnings against bathing in the sea in Exmouth - the water company had been trying to repair the burst sewer pipe since last Wednesday, according to local press reports. The local media quoted South West Water as saying it had been unable to "keep up" with the flows from the leak.

South West Water said:

“Our teams have been working around the clock in Exmouth to repair the burst pipe from Maer Road pumping station at Maer Lane. We are pleased to say that we have now completed the temporary fix, and the pipe is up and running, and we can now begin planning the permanent repair.

"However, tankers will remain on site as a precaution. We would like to thank residents and visitors for their patience, and we are sorry for the disruption caused throughout this event.”

The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs data services platform Swimfo which allows users to look up details of designated bathing water sites in England provides an assessment of water quality 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.

A statement issued by the EA on Saturday 17 August posted on X (Twitter) said:

"Swimming is not advised at Exmouth as sewage is spilling from a South West Water storm overflow. This is related to the burst rising main on Wednesday. Check Swimfo for updates."

East Devon District Council also posted on X on 17^th August:

"Due to the ongoing pollution incident declared by the Environment Agency and prolonged discharges from the Maer rocks CSO we are urging people not to swim off Exmouth while this in force. Officers from East Devon District Council continue to monitor the situation closely."

However, as at 8.30am this morning the latest Swimfo 2024 Bathing Water Profile for Exmouth Devon, England is currently still stating:

“18/08/2024 19:35: No warnings in place

Pollution risk forecasts are made every day at this bathing water”

East Devon District Council' the major sewage spill  "represents an historic new low"

In response to the pollution incident in Exmouth, Councillor Paul Arnott, East Devon District Council's Leader, separately issued the following 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.”