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Sir Peter Bottomley
Former MP

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Sir Peter Bottomley
Former MP

Tackling Sewage in our Seas and Waterways

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Sea

Updates on our Longstanding Campaign to Improve Our Water:

Water quality is vastly improving. We should expect it to continue to improve as our systems become more efficient and effective.

Just 60 years ago, untreated sewage entered our water in an almost constant stream. That was grim but we can be confident that the situation today is enormously different.

As our monitoring and detection systems become more sophisticated, we are becoming increasingly aware of longstanding issues and more able to respond effectively.

We recognise that with increased capabilities to monitor and examine our water quality, out understanding of the severity of the situation will feel worse before we feel it improves.

Major investments in the entire water treatment system, from source to sea, are welcomed by all and many will now feel that we are over the hump.

Government legislation is tackling inaction from our water companies, addressing a lack of capability for our Environment Agency to address the problems, and further protecting our bathing waters to ensure we are safe when entering our open water.

Everyone in a community suffers when unacceptable waste is found along the beach and when sensitive river environments are poisoned by untreated discharges from main drains. Preventing unnecessary sewage discharge into our open waters through increased treatment and decreased overflow is a priority for all.

I believe that Southern Water's previous management knowingly did things that were wrong. I believe that the present management does not. We ought to trust the new regime but we must also hold them to their own expectations as well as to our own.

Fixing leaks must be the top priority of all water companies, not rewarding boardroom failure.

We should rightly expect water quality to be on a sustained path to improvement as our systems become more efficient and effective.

The quality of our water matters greatly not least to our seaside economy which relies greatly on our high-quality beaches and bathing waters.

Below are updates from recent years. More will come in due course.

News

Worthing Beach

New Bathing Sites Announced in Worthing

Monday, 13 May, 2024
The Environment Secretary has announced special protection for two popular stretches of coast in Worthing following a successful appeal by myself and a positive application from Worthing Borough Council. As newly designated bathing sites, the Environment Agency will actively and regularly monitor t
Sir Peter meeting the Tarring Flood Action Group

Tackling Flash Flooding in Tarring

Tuesday, 30 April, 2024
Tackling Flash Flooding in Tarring Localised flooding in Tarring is having an impact on residents and businesses alike.
A Seal swimming amongst Kelp Forestry

Celebrating Three Years of Sussex Kelp Forest

Monday, 8 April, 2024
𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝗞𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁: Three years ago in 2021, over 300km² of seabed was protected from trawling by the Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.
Water

Southern Water Data Breach

Friday, 22 March, 2024
Last week I shared information from Southern Water regarding a data breach. I represented affected constituents in requesting urgent action be taken to ensure affected customers are made aware and provided necessary support to prevent further issues. I have received confirmation that all Southern
Sir Peter Bottomley posing with an article headline describing the harm of single-use vapes

Singe-Use Vapes Harming Our Seas

Wednesday, 14 February, 2024
Single-use vapes are quickly becoming a scourge of our streets and our seas.
Sir Peter Bottomley with a team of sewage workers

Standing up for Cleaner Water and Seas

Wednesday, 14 February, 2024
Water quality is vastly improving. We should expect it to continue to improve as our systems become more efficient and effective. Just 60 years ago, untreated sewage entered our water in an almost constant stream.
Sea

Efluent Discharge at Shoreham Port

Wednesday, 10 January, 2024
Southern Water have shared details of an electrical issue at their Shoreham Waste Water Treatment Works overnight resulting in the failure of two pumps on site. Southern Water were unable to release treated effluent via their Long Sea Outfall.
Sir Peter meeting Worthing students

Welcoming Students to Parliament to Discuss Their Environmental Concerns

Monday, 18 December, 2023
On Monday I joined Tim Loughton MP in welcoming students from Worthing up to Westminster for a series of activities focused on the environment.
Worthing Herald Article

WORTHING HERALD: Coming To Terms With History

Thursday, 23 November, 2023
My constituency service in past days and this week has included tackling Southern Water on waste water management and severe flooding locally, discussing ongoing concerns and issues with postal delivery with senior managers and staff at Worthing's Royal Mail Sorting Office, and learning more about i
sea

Sewage in the sea - letters from Southern Water and Rebecca Pow MP

Friday, 21 July, 2023
With the summer months comes a renewed sense of concern for many of the scourge of storm-overflow systems allowing the dangerous release of raw sewage into our waterways and, as such, into our highly acclaimed bathing water here in Worthing and Arun. A sense of proportion and chronology is necessar
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