Businesses say they have lost thousands of pounds because of sewage outpours at a popular coastal holiday town in east Devon.
One business owner in Exmouth, who teaches watersports, said he had to repeatedly cancel classes and issue refunds last month following a “no swim” alert triggered by a burst sewage pipe.
The alert was lifted but i found that South West Water, which is responsible for wastewater services in the area, poured sewage into the sea at Exmouth again days later following downpours. Water companies are allowed to pump untreated sewage into the UK’s rivers and surrounding seas when too much rainfall threatens the capacity of their water tanks.
i also revealed earlier this year that 240 tankers a day drove through Exmouth carrying up to 18,000 litres of sewage to the Maer Road Sewage Pumping Station, just 200 metres from the beach, following a series of major pipe bursts.
Edward John Morgan, 52, said he and other business owners in the area have lost money because of repeated sewage spills last month.
Mr Morgan, who runs watersports business Red Rock, said the impact of sewage spills this August was “the worst I’ve ever known”, saying it was “very disappointing” that people were unable to go swimming. August is usually his busiest month of the year.
“We’ve had large school groups waiting on the beach to go afloat, and then had to do something else with them because we couldn’t take them on the water,” he told i. “That’s significant, because one of our big selling points is being on the water for our camps.
“We’ve also had cancellations. People are on holiday and they can’t come back – we have to refund them if they can’t take them out that day.”
He worries others have not visited the area as a result of the spills.
“We want people to holiday in England,” he said. “We’ve got bad weather half the time, and now we’ve got that as well. It’s too much. It’s got to stop.”
He said the sewage spills have cost him thousands of pounds in cancellations.
It is not only watersports businesses like his that have been affected, but also local restaurants and pubs that rely on visitors to boost their income, he said.
Mr Morgan, who lives in the area, said water firms were “taking the p*** – literally”, adding that the town is “so fed up with it”.
‘This has put my wife off of going to Exmouth’
Andrew Halden, 68, has been going on holiday in Exmouth for each of the past 10 years – but their experience this year means he and his family may not be coming back.
“One of the main features of the holiday is the beach and sea swimming,” he told i.
“Last year, we lost a day or so due to storms but this year the sewer pipe break meant we couldn’t go on the beach or in the sea at all.
“Even on those days when South West Water said you could go in we were very wary of trusting this advice. The last thing we wanted on our holiday was to have a family member falling ill.
“We instead chose to play it safe and head to a beach that was consistently good.”
He said they usually do not drive outside the area, but this year they travelled 40 minutes to find a beach they “could trust” – in Dawlish Warren. He and his family, which includes his 11-year-old granddaughter, went to Topsham Lido on another day.
“We then weren’t spending money in Exmouth which must have impacted local businesses,” he said.
“As a family we felt that we hadn’t spent much leisure time at all in Exmouth and consequentially not spent our money with many of the local businesses.
“Having now had two years of uncertainty with regard to the beach we are now seriously looking at alternative locations for our family break in 2025. We will most likely be moving away from the South West altogether based on the way South West Water operate.”
He said sewage outflows have tarnished the area’s reputation as a “safe and happy holiday destination”.
“Last year we had a small issue with the sewage alerts but this year’s fiasco has definitely put my wife off going to Exmouth again,” he said.
“We as a family looked at our spending this year and we all found we had spent so much less in Exmouth this year.”
Local resident Tracey Bosworth, 58, told i she has been “so worried about the impact the sewage dumps have been having on the town, tourism and the businesses”.
“I’ve noticed a huge reduction in the amount of people visiting the beaches at Exmouth this year,” she said.
“Exmouth is my most favourite place on Earth and this is heartbreaking.
“We’ve all had enough of the contempt for our environment, the residents and businesses. Also, the lack of care by South West Water for people’s health, particularly the children who love being in the sea.
“They are our future and so this could have a detrimental effect for generations.
“Exmouth has such a bad reputation now regarding sewage and it’s completely the fault of South West Water.”
i previously revealed that another resident, Jo Bateman, is taking South West Water to court, claiming that sewage spills in Exmouth have prevented her from cold water swimming, which improves her physical and mental well-being.
A spokesperson for South West Water said: “We are doing everything possible to protect the environment while we complete a permanent fix to the burst pipe in Exmouth.
“Our teams continue to work around the clock. We fully understand the disruption this is causing and we are sorry for that.
“We are investing around £38m in the Exmouth area up to 2030. This includes upgrading our pumping stations and treatment works to significantly reduce the number of spills and further protect the environment.”