Swimming restrictions due to sewage in sea lifted

A warning urging people to avoid swimming in the sea after two sewage spills in the space of a week has been lifted.

Isle of Wight Council had advised residents to avoid bathing in the Cowes and East Cowes area, after the Environment Agency (EA) reported a "pollution incident" overnight on Friday.

Southern Water apologised for the latest release, the second in a week, which it said was caused by an unplanned power outage at the Cowes High Street pumping station.

The EA confirmed on Tuesday that the bathing restriction has been lifted.

Untreated sewage poured into streets and gardens at East Cowes after a large pipe burst a week ago.

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.

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

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

The EA said in a previous statement: "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 previously 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.

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.