Save Our South Coast Alliance welcomes Southern Water grilling next week

The water company has come under fire in recent years due to the large scale and persistent pumping of sewage along the Sussex coast. Now senior Southern Water bosses are set to appear before Chichester District Council’s overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday (January 17).

Libby Alexander, who founded the SOSCA, praised the opportunity to the hold the water company to account.

She said: “The initiative of Cllr Clare Apel to hold to account senior representatives of Southern Water, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, and Natural England is to be applauded. She adds that, ‘We are absolutely appalled that the Harbour an SSSI site and one of the most protected environments in the world, is being damaged by raw sewage.’ This is exactly what local communities have been shouting about and demonstrating about for years – to no avail. This excellent opportunity to hold to account the very agencies that are paid to uphold statutory protections must not be wasted.”

Southern Water has been unavailable for comment.

A spokesperson for Chichester District Council said in a statement last week: “Committee members are well aware of the serious problems that some of the residents that they represent have experienced. This, combined with the protests that have taken place recently by residents concerned about water quality in the area, mean that members of the committee would welcome the opportunity to discuss a number of important issues with the invited organisations.

"These include the recent flooding and associated drain surcharging; sewage and subsequent discharge into the harbour and water courses; the water quality of Chichester Harbour and responses to planning applications including delays in connectivity.”

Since December 23 last year, more than 450 hours of sewage has been pumped into Chichester Harbour up to and including 11am today (Wednesday, January 11). In 2021 company was fined a record-breaking £90 million for deliberately pumping sewage into rivers and seas.

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