The Safer Seas Service is the only national real-time water quality service that protects all water users from pollution. This pioneering free service alerts water users when sewer overflows discharge untreated human sewage into the sea and when water quality is reduced by diffuse pollution at 333 beaches across England and Wales. The Safer Seas Service is the first and only national service to inform you, in real time, when untreated human sewage and diffuse pollution is impacting water quality at your favourite beach. This information keeps you safe, allowing you to make an informed decision about how, when and where you use the sea.
However, as a local set of eyes and ears, if you witness or suspect a pollution event has taken place which hasn’t yet been picked up by the Safer Seas Service you must report it – the guide below sets out how you can report sewage incidents and what can be done to ensure it doesn’t happen in the future. This information can also potentially determine how it is treated and mitigated. By informing the regulators about pollution incidents we are able to hold those responsible to account.
The regulators in each of the devolved nations in the UK have the same Pollution Incident Hotline available to report any incidents that may have an impact on coastal waters.
Before you call and report it is useful to gather as much evidence as possible to ensure that the case is well documented and the matter can be resolved and the culprits be held responsible.
- Make a note of what you saw
- What time was it?
- Where did you see it?
- Take a picture or film it
- Call the Pollution reporting hotline: 0800 80 70 60
