'Sewage' seen 'bulging' into West Sussex river - but experts believe it was something else

A Suffolk resident, who was visiting Littlehampton last week, said she noticed – ‘to my disgust and horror’ – what appeared to be ‘sewage billowing out into the river’ on the evening of Wednesday, June 19.

The Littlehampton visitor said she was otherwise impressed with the ‘spotless town’ but added that it would be ‘utterly abhorrent’ if ‘harmful effluent and discharge’ was released into the river.

In response, a Southern Water spokesperson said: “Our assets in the area have been working as they should and our records show no spills in the Arun parade at that time.

"Our customers can report a pollution by calling us on 0800 952 1001.”

The Environment Agency said its specialist officers believe the ‘most-likely cause’ of what can be seen in the water was ‘naturally-occurring algae’.

A spokesperson added: “It’s easy to mistake algae for sewage, particularly as both have an unpleasant smell, but foam on the water’s surface is most likely to be the result of the algae breaking down.

“Anyone with new concerns, or who suspects other pollution in our waterways, can contact our 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 807060.”

Arun District Council said any such sightings should be reported to the Environment Agency, which will ‘determine whether it is sewage or not’, and ‘then take appropriate action’.

The government agency can be contacted via; [email protected] or 0800 807060.