- Southend Against Sewage formed after a 2021 pollution incident.
- Recent E.coli testing shows dangerously high levels at local beaches.
- Campaigners call for investigation into human waste contamination.
- Concern over loss of Blue Flag beach status and environmental impact.
Southend Against Sewage was formed following a sewage pollution incident in October 2021. We were swimming with several friends when raw sewage was released without warning from the combined sewage outflows (CSO) along the foreshore, following the collapse of a sewage well at Stock Rd, Southend.
It was a disgusting experience. One we felt needed answers. When those answers were not forthcoming, we embarked upon our own campaign. With beaches being closed for almost two weeks, while raw sewage was pumped into the estuary, we decided that coordinated action was necessary.
Southend Against Sewage was formed and organised its first demonstration in November 2021. Something that a few weeks earlier none of us would have imagined we would be involved in organising. From that point on we have advocated for clean waters, protection of beaches, marine habitats, and improvements to infrastructure.
New Testing Raises Concerns
Recently, Southend’s sewage network was able to cope with the summer’s dry conditions and normal loads. Good news for Anglian Water. Good news for us and our blue spaces. However, when the Environment Agency conducted E.coli testing across Southend beaches on Friday 5th September, a new set of facts began to emerge.
Four beaches registered high levels of E.coli. Jubilee Beach was off the scale at 6,000+ colonies of E.coli/100 ml with Shoeburyness not far behind with 3,000 colonies of E.coli/100 ml. The results are between twelve to six to times the accepted safe threshold for swimming at <500 colonies of E.coli/100 ml.
Three Shells was double the safe threshold while Thorpe Bay was on the edge of being considered safe. Remember, we lost a blue flag at Thorpe Bay two years ago, while Westcliff Bay lost theirs last year! We can’t afford to keep losing Blue Flags and the environmental protection they offer.
E.coli Source Questioned
We believe Southend City Council in conjunction with the Environment Agency must have the E.coli analysed to determine if the samples originated from human faeces.
A positive result would require Anglian Water to answer tough questions with the possibility of fines to follow. A negative result would require further investigations by the Environment Agency, Southend City Council, and stakeholders to determine the source of the E.coli contamination.
We cannot be complacent. We need answers, so to preserve what we have today and protect our beautiful marine environment for future generations.
by Shah & Alex Haider
On behalf of Southend Against Sewage
southendagainstsewage.org