Swimmers told to stay out of sea after sewage leak

Swimmers have been urged to avoid bathing in the sea off the Isle of Wight after a sewage leak.

Untreated sewage poured into streets and gardens at East Cowes after a large pipe burst on Tuesday morning.

Following the burst Southern Water started discharging into the sea, for a total of more than eight hours, with the last release ending at 00.46 BST on Wednesday.

The Environment Agency (EA) advised people to avoid going in the water at Gurnard, Cowes and East Cowes.

Signs warning swimmers of poor water quality were put up on the beaches by Isle of Wight Council.

The EA said: "As there is an ongoing impact on water quality, we have issued advice against bathing in the affected areas.

"We are continuing to investigate the incident and will not hesitate to take further action if required."

The EA said it was working closely with Southern Water and the council to resolve the issue.

Southern Water said the impact was not as bad as initially predicated and that no further clean-up was required.

It added that, as a precaution, the council had put up signs and the EA issued alerts.

A nearby pumping station was switched off after the leak to prevent further spills but, when an emergency holding tank reached capacity, wastewater was discharged into the sea.

Tankers were brought in to take untreated water away and reduce more spills.

Repairs were completed to the burst sewage pipe in Millfield Avenue on Wednesday morning and the road reopened.

Roads and gardens affected by the initial leak are being washed down and disinfected by Southern Water teams.