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

Roundtable with Southern Water

MPs from across Sussex met with Southern Water and regulators, environmental and financial, to discuss urgent concerns regarding ongoing storm overflow and unacceptable levels of untreated discharge into our water courses and bathing areas. We all understand that the quality of our bathing water ma

Increasing the Standard of Local Bathing Waters

Bathing waters across the South East, especially here in Worthing and Arun, have achieved their highest ever ratings in Defra’s Bathing Water summer sampling regime. Here in Worthing, the quality of bathing water has increased from 'Sufficient' in 2019 to 'Good' in 2021.

Meeting with Katy Taylor, Chief Customer Officer at Southern Water

I met with Katy Taylor, Chief Customer Officer at Southern Water's headquarters here in Worthing, to discuss resilience planning and to see their response room. This came as part of ongoing work to address the severe concerns with storm-overflow in Worthing, Arun and across the UK.

Letter to Southern Water on Water Quality

We all understand how much the quality of our bathing water matters to our local communities. Our seaside economy relies significantly on our high-quality beaches and bathing waters.

Worthing Beach Evacuation

​I was advised of an emergency evacuation of parts of Worthing Beach undertaken by the Beach Control Team due to a worrying large slick of black oil observed to be emanating from around a Southern Water outflow pipe. My team and I were in immediate contact with Southern Water to request that pollut

Celebrating World Oceans Day

In June every year, we recognise  #WorldOceansDay. I share in a belief that we must take urgent action now to safeguard the world’s oceans and protect the precious wildlife that inhabits them. I took the opportunity to celebrate 32 years of good work by Surfers Against Sewage. It is pos

Ongoing Campaign Against Storm Overflow

I have been vocal in my opposition to the unlawful release of raw sewage into bodies of water for many years, and in my support for groups such as Surfers Against Sewage. Some constituents have contacted me who are under the misapprehension that I have voted to allow the continued dumping of sewage

Worthing Bathing Water Rated GOOD

Bathing waters across the South East, especially here in Worthing and Arun, have achieved their highest ever ratings in Defra’s Bathing Water summer sampling regime. Here in Worthing, the quality of bathing water has increased from 'Sufficient' in 2019 to 'Good' in 2021.

Fighting Against Storm Overflow and Sewage

Thank you to those reaching out about sewage pollution and the Environment Bill. Surfers Against Sewage could have made clear in their supportive emails that I am a long-standing supporter of their cause and fully support better protection of our rivers and seas.