Gosport lakes' water quality at "normal levels" advises Southern Water after sewage pollution

Residents were being advised not to bathe, paddle or swim in Haslar Lake, Workhouse Lake, Stoke Lake, or Alverstoke Creek as of Friday, July 11. Signs were put in place yesterday displaying the advice while Southern Water worked to resolve the issue.

Caroline Dinenage had advised on Facebook that one of the issues was as a result of an illegal connection at Spinnaker Apartments. While the other issue was due to a blocked sewer which leaked into a surface water drain.

Southern Water has confirmed that the blocked sewer issue has been resolved while a temporary resolution is in place at the apartment block while it continues to work on a permanent fix.

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A Southern Water spokesperson said: "On Thursday, our teams uncovered one illegal connection in the area of the lakes, in which private wastewater pipes from a block of flats had been plumbed straight into a surface water drain - instead of our sewer.

“We quickly stopped the spill and are using tankers so customers can keep using their toilets, sinks and showers, while we carry out a permanent fix.

"Nearby, on the same day, we also found a blocked sewer, leaking into a different surface water drain. We cleared the blockage immediately and fixed the leak the following day.

"Following our environmental testing yesterday, we can confirm that all water quality sample results in this area are at normal levels. We are aware that the local authority issued bathing advice related to these incidents on Friday. We were not consulted as part of this action."

Gosport Borough Council have been approached for comment regarding the current bathing restrictions and the timeframe for when they will be relaxed. As soon as there are any further updates we will let you know.