New Eastney beach signs showing sewage release warnings installed by Portsmouth City Council

The two signs have been positioned along either side of Eastney Esplanade, with one by the Coffee Cup Eastney and the other close to The Southsea Beach Cafe. They will display daily information about the sewage releases that have occurred in the last 48 hours to alert people to the potential quality of the water.

The signs have been petitioned for by campaigners for a number years with Portsmouth City Council collaborating with Stop the Sewage Southsea, Final Straw Foundation, among other environmental campaigners. These solar powered signs will replace the interim sewage signs the council put up in 2022.

Leader of the council, Cllr Steve Pitt, was pleased to see the signs in place while also lamenting that they were necessary. He said: "Water companies should not be dumping sewage in bathing waters at all, however we know that is not always the reality.

“That is why councillors have been working with local campaigners over many months to create these signs, which will warn people of any sewage releases in the local vicinity. They provide simple, up-to-date information about the quality of our water, helping people to make informed decisions about bathing.

"Though the Council isn't responsible for the quality of our waters, we continue to put pressure on those who are so people can continue to enjoy our fantastic beaches and feel confident about swimming all year round."

The signs will display one of two messages, either a green ‘no water quality alert’, or a red ‘sewage pollution alert’ which will show if there has been a sewage release in the last 48 hours. The information is gathered from the Surfers against Sewage online map with the council updating the signs daily.

Bianca Carr from the Final Straw Foundation said: "These signs are a great step in helping people who use the water to make an informed decision about whether or not they go in. It’s a shame that this is needed and we hope it helps lead to long term change for our waters."

Sarah Shreeve from Stop the Sewage Southsea is delighted to see the signs installed having petitioned for them for a number of years. She said: "In 2021 Stop the Sewage Southsea petitioned Portsmouth City Council to install warning signs in the swimming zone to support swimmers, paddleboarders and other water users to be able to make educated decisions about using the water safely.

"We're thrilled that the interim signs secured in 2022 have been replaced with these electronic versions. We are thankful for the collaboration between local advocacy groups, and the hard work of (local campaigners) Mike Owens and Bianca Carr that has brought this brilliant project to fruition.

"We all hope it is just the first step in ensuring a clean, safe and enjoyable sea for everyone in the city to enjoy."

The signs only apply to the Eastney bathing water and do not relate to the water at Southsea East beach which is the section between the Pyramids and South Parade Pier. Bathing is not advised at Southsea East beach with the Environment Agency classifying the water quality as poor. Statutory signs are in place advising of this.

The Environment Agency classifies the water quality at Eastney as good. The new signs, which are solar-powered, will be live from 6am to 8pm every day.