Sewage has poured into the sea near Kent after thunderstorms hit the county.
There are pollution warnings at four seafronts due to the torrential rain yesterday (July 21), which saw a yellow weather warning come into force.
According to the Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) campaign group, Sheerness, Leysdown, Whitstable and Herne Bay were all affected.
This, it says, is due to storm sewage being discharged from a sewer overflow within the past 48 hours.
It comes after the Environment Agency (EA) advised swimmers not to enter the water at Tankerton, Herne Bay, West Bay in Westgate-on-Sea and Margate Fulsam Rock yesterday.
An EA spokesperson said: “Specialist officers give the warnings or make daily pollution-risk forecasts where water quality may be temporarily reduced.
“This enables swimmers and others to avoid times or locations where the risk of pollution is greater than normal.”
In May, three beaches in Kent won the unwanted title of having some of the worst bathing water quality in the country in the 2025 ‘Brown Flag Awards’.
These were at Littlestone, Deal Castle and Dymchurch.
Overall, just 42% of Kent’s beaches are rated as ‘excellent’ for water cleanliness compared to about 90% in Northumberland, Devon and Dorset.
In May 2024, more than 200 demonstrators gathered at Hythe beach and Viking Bay in Broadstairs to protest as part of a nationwide campaign led by SAS.
They demanded action from water companies over sewage spills into sea.
The government has promised £104 billion of investment in water infrastructure and launched a new law to prevent water company bosses claiming huge bonuses – all of which is hoped will tackle the problem.
Yesterday, it announced the axing of the Ofwat regulator as part of an overhaul of a “broken” water regulation system that failed customers and the environment.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed made the announcement in response to an independent review by Sir Jon Cunliffe commissioned by the Government to answer public fury over pollution in rivers, lakes and seas, soaring bills, shareholder pay outs and bosses’ bonuses.
