It’s rained, it’s poured, and now it stinks!
South West Water has unleashed over 1,000 sewage discharges in just three days. As of 10:30 AM on February 21st, 35 bathing waters are under sewage alerts, warning swimmers of reduced water quality.
Humpback whales might be gracing the shores of Watergate Bay and Mawgan Porth, but South West Water is putting on its own spectacular sewage display along the coastline.
For over a decade, Surfers Against Sewage has tracked beach warnings. But now, thanks to new open data from water companies, we can monitor every single combined sewer overflow in real-time—something water companies could have done, but chose not to. We’re the only organisation logging this history, ensuring transparency that the industry avoids.
Official annual spill data from the Environment Agency won’t land until April 2026. Should we wait over a year to know what’s happening today? Absolutely not.
The map below shows all the overflows that have spilled since February 19th, along with the total number and duration of discharges at each site.
Which beaches are in the 💩
A Waste Water Treatment Works Under Review
Menheniot Sewage Treatment Works is a repeat offender. In under three days, it dumped 34 hours of sewage into the environment. And this isn’t a one-off. In 2023 alone, this settled storm overflow spewed sewage for a staggering 2,022 hours, impacting Seaton Beach in Cornwall.
A 2023 assessment labeled Menheniot as an immediate moderate risk due to storm overflow performance. South West Water says the catchment needs investment, yet spill numbers tell a different story. Instead of improving, discharges have more than doubled since 2021—a 111% increase in just two years.
Discharges from Menheniot Sewage Treatment Works Settled Storm Overflow:
2023: 125
2022: 60
2021: 59
2020: 93
If investment is happening, where are the results? Why is performance getting worse, not better?
AT swanpool in Falmouth there is a lake that has many ducks and swan on the water . There is a overflow 1.5 mtr pipe that runs down to the sea for the last 5 days rusty coloured water as been pouring out and makes the first 10mrt all along the beach the water dirty brown red colour. one other thing we have had very little rain in the last 6 days so the lake at low tide should be down but the lake is much higher than normal even at low tide.
I take my dog for a walk every day down to the beach and look at the water coming out of the big overflow pipe and I have never seen this colour of water and amount still coming out 3hrs after low water !!!!!!!