North Devon MP on a clean water mission

Selaine Saxby MP has met with South West Water in Lynmouth after the very public cancelling of a swimming event over August Bank Holiday and has made a statement on her website.

In that statement Ms Saxby said: “I have taken time to speak with and meet with South West Water (SWW) having consulted the Environment Agency (EA) on their thoughts.

"The EA monitor the ‘Bathing Water’ for bacteria at Lynmouth which is away from the harbour where the swim was due to be held. The EA have no record of any pollution being reported to them over the weekend of of August 25/26, so no investigation was undertaken. Local rainfall monitors recorded over 36mm of rain on the 25th and this volume of rain would flood the storm sewers and trigger a spill into people’s homes or onto the streets if the CSO had not discharged.”

South West Water stated after the event had been cancelled they are investing "record levels" to reduce storm overflow use: "We can confirm there was storm overflow activity in Lynmouth over the weekend following heavy, localised rainfall.. Storm overflows are pressure relief valves built into our network that are an essential way to stop homes and businesses from flooding during periods of heavy rainfall. However, reducing the use of storm overflows is a priority for us and we are investing record levels to do so.

 "In Lynmouth specifically, we are investing over £4.25m to March 2025 to reduce the risk of environmental impact from our sewerage network and maintain excellent bathing water quality."

Having met with the MP for North Devon, South West Water have committed to work positively with swimming groups and event organisers throughout the year, to improve testing and provide more information and a better understanding on pollution risk.

John Halsall, Chief Operating Officer for Pennon Group, parent company of South West Water, said: “We were pleased to meet with Selaine Saxby MP to discuss our targeted investment of more than £4.25m we are making in Lynmouth to protect its unique environment and maintain excellent bathing water quality. Reducing the use of storm overflows is a priority for South West Water, and we continue to work with and support Selaine and all our region’s MPs to help achieve this."

Selaine added: “I am determined that we will see more testing and whilst I would like the Environment Agency to do this, I am delighted that South West Water are working on plans to voluntarily do more of their own so that we can be sure that here in North Devon, our excellent bathing waters are excellent all year round.”