When the overflow pipes fill with water, sewage runs onto the beach

More than 50 people living around Gwithian near Camborne attended a public meeting on Thursday night to discuss problems with a storm overflow from a new sewage treatment works.

They claim raw effluent is putting their health at risk.

And there were jeers in the Kerrier Disrict Council chamber as the water company told them that the necessary improvements could take at least five years.

'Absolutely disgusting'

When the overflow pipes fill with water, sewage runs through the Red River Nature Reserve and onto Gwithian beach.

It is only supposed to happen very occasionally after heavy rain, but is now occurring up to 20 times a year.

Sonia Lang from St Erth told the meeting it was dangerous and claimed her son had contracted e-coli and gastroenteritis after visiting Godrevy beach.

She said it was "absolutely disgusting".

South West Water said the problem lay in the amount of sewage being produced.

SWW's waste water treatment manager, Andrew Rowntree, said the company was looking at a possible repair programme, but that would not happen for at least five years.

"In the last two years we have commissioned �20m worth of improvements to the waste water treatment works and to the sewerage system in the last two years.

"It represents a huge improvement over what existed previously," he said.

He said SWW would work closely with the local authority and the Environment Agency to find the best solution to deal with what he called "surface run off".