People warned to avoid 83 UK beaches because of raw sewage dumped nearby

People are being warned to avoid 83 UK beaches, because of raw sewage being dumped nearby.

Environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage monitors sewage discharge, and has detected nationwide leaks into the sea following heavy recent rainfall.

Gorleston Beach in Norfolk – which was named best UK beach by Tripadvisor last month – has made the list of beaches where dumped sewage has seeped into the sea.

Surfers Against Sewage said: “Gorleston-on-Sea became popular in Edwardian times and is still a busy seaside resort. A number of sewer overflows discharge into the River Yare that flows to the sea at the northern end of the beach.”

The full list of beaches to avoid includes popular bathing spots.

In Scotland, Dhoon Bay in Kircudbright has been named as one to steer clear of.

Meanwhile, just below the border in North East England, Spittal, Warkworth, Druridge Bay, Amble Links, Blyth South Beach, Tynemouth Cullercoats and Seaham Beach all currently come with a sewage leak warning.

In Lancashire, Blackpool South, Central and North join Morecambe North, Fleetwood, and St Annes as beaches to avoid.

Somerset coastal spots Weston-super-Mare Sand Bay and Weston Main join Dunster North West as places to expect raw sewage spillages in the sea.

On the south coast of England, Bognor Regis East, Aldwick, Brighton, Pagham, Langstone Harbour and Saltdean are also listed.

Additionally, people are being warned to avoid swimming at Cowes, Gurnard and Sandown on the Isle of Weight.

Surfers Against Sewage claim there are “almost 5,500 discharges into UK coastal bathing waters”, in addition to “over 400,000 discharges of untreated sewage into UK rivers’’.

The group blames polluters and poor waste management for these sewage discharges.

Last year, Labour MP Jim MacMahon called the sewage leaks a “scandal.”

The shadow environment secretary said that under a Labour government, the party would impose “mandatory monitors on all sewage outlets” as well as “automatic fines for every single sewage discharge”.

Swimming in water contaminated with raw sewage can cause serious illness.

On the Surfers Against Sewage website, the environmental activist group outlines that “the sheer volume of pollution entering our water means the UK consistently ranks as one of the worst European countries for coastal water quality.”

The full list of 83 UK beaches where raw sewage has been dumped nearby

The Independent has contacted Surfers Against Sewage and the Environment Agency for comment.