Chichester and Arun District have some of the most E.coli infested waters in the UK, data suggests

The stats, compiled by SEO specialists Reboot Online, compiles and compares water quality statistics across the UK to give residents a comprehensive sense of the state of our coastal waters.

They show that Chichester in particular has suffered, with rates of E.Coli reported to have increased by 568.76 per cent. Rates of Intestinal Enterococci, which indicates the possible contamination of bodies of water by fecal matter, also increased by a similar margin: 498.18 per cent.

Chichester was also one of the worst affected areas by water quality deterioration, with a score of 97 out of 100. Despite widespread concerns about sewage discharges, however, the statistics suggest Chichester has not fared as poorly as some other parts of the country, with a comparatively low 25,705 hours of sewage discharge reported.

Arun District fared slightly better in most regards than its cathedral city neighbour - but not by any great margin. With nearly 2,600 hours worth of sewage discharged over the last year, the situation is relatively tame compared to that endured by residents in Dorset, where nearly 32,900 hours worth of sewage was discharged.

Even so, the picture is much less positive when it comes to the degradation of water quality. Arun District's coastal waters are some of the most deteriorated in the UK, and some of the most infested with E.Coli.

The area scored 85.05 out of 100 for water deterioration, while the percentage of E.coli has gone up by 85.83 per cent over the last year. The percentage of Intestinal Enterococci, has also increased considerably: 250.52 per cent in the last year.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: “The so-called degradation score is not a measure of bathing water quality – it makes a comparison between some e coli scores before the pandemic and scores after. Chichester Harbour is not a designated bathing water – it is a working harbour and alongside boats and agriculture there are many sources of e coli in nature. Southern Water is leading work to improve the quality of water in the harbour and surrounding wet lands. We are: leading a multi-agency response to the complex threats to water quality; investing in our key treatment works; constructing a £22 million pipeline to take wastewater away from the Chichester wastewater treatment works to Tangmere where the receiving water is less sensitive and a £10 million project to seal and reline sewers in Chichester to keep ground water out.”

The stats come less than a year after Arun District Council leader Shaun Gunner took regional water company Southern Water to task after bathing waters in Aldwick were rated ‘poor’ by Environmental Agency inspectors.

"We pay Southern Water to provide us with water and remove our waste. We know some of that waste ends up in the sea, and we’re now being told that the government are advising against swimming there,” he said. "They have really got to step up.”

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Gunner: Southern Water 'need to step up' after Aldwick bathing water rated 'poor'