Concern over water quality at Southsea and Eastney beaches

The Southsea East bathing water has been reclassified as “poor” by the Environment Agency due to higher levels of E. coli and Intestinal Enterococci compared to last year. They are both bacteria which suggest sewage could be the source, Portsmouth City Council has heard. This was discussed in a recent council meeting with the ruling Liberal Democrat cabinet where the council’s environmental health manager, Richard Lee, said he is working with the agency and Southern Water to find the source of pollution.

It was previously stated in council documents that while Southern Water’s wastewater releases are an “obvious concern” there are no combined sewage outfalls (CSO) close to the popular stretch of seafront in between the Parade Pier and the Pyramids. However, Mr Lee said that mapping software could be used to see “how those releases might be impacting on Southsea beaches”.

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Councillor Steve Pitt, the leader of the council, said that the council can only support the Environment Agency (EA) in diagnosing the problem and that it has gone “above and beyond” what the council has been asked to do. He added: “This is a very important priority for the city council, our bathing waters and the people that use them are all year round but also the tourists that also come to Portsmouth. We’re serious about our marine environment and we want this problem fixed but in order to fix it we’ve got to figure out what it is.”

Councillor Hugh Mason criticised allegations that the pollution comes from ongoing sea defence works and large numbers of seagulls, adding, “If it were something as simple as that, we would have cured it. This is something which is complex and probably multi-faceted – we should support the EA and push it to do more and also push Souther Water to continue their work on finding the sources of E. coli pollution.”

Councillor Lee Hunt raised concerns over new housing in the area, and fishermen who “should have confidence in the fish they’re catching”. He added: “This is not something that PCC can lead on – we don’t have the resources to lead on it, that is the EA principally and Southern Water.”