Residents say flood plan will send sewage to beach

3 hours ago

Christine Butlerin Portreath

News image — Campaigners say the plan could increase sewage on the beach at Portreath

BBC The image shows a sandy beach with small waves breaking on the shoreline, while a person carries a long board through the shallow water. In the background, steep rocky cliffs rise above the beach, with several houses on the headland beneath a sky filled with scattered cloud. — Campaigners say the plan could increase sewage on the beach at Portreath

Residents of a seaside town have warned a proposed flood defence scheme could increase pollution on their beach and harm wildlife.

The Environment Agency scheme would widen the stream running through the Portreath in Cornwall as part of a £17m flood resilience project.

More than 680 people have signed a petition against the plan, with campaigners arguing it could allow sewage from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to enter the stream and eventually reach the beach.

The Environment Agency said: "We do not recognise claims that the scheme will increase flood risk, harm bathing water quality or fail to consider environmental impacts."

The image shows a person standing outdoors in front of trees and greenery, with the background blurred and out of focus. The photograph is a close-up portrait, with the person wearing a dark T-shirt and positioned against a wooded setting. — Campaigner Ramzi Nasayev said the proposed scheme would only provide "a one in 20-year return resilience" despite its £17m cost

Campaigner and civil engineer Ramzi Nasayev said the proposed scheme would only provide "a one in 20-year return resilience" despite its £17m cost.

He said a higher level of protection should be possible and argued the project should reduce the flood risk further.

He said the stream currently supported species including European eels and sticklebacks and warned that sewage discharges could damage the habitat.

Referring to children who played in the water near the beach, he said: "This will just be another way of getting more pollution onto the beach."

The Portreath Flood Resilience Action Group, also said the project replaced an earlier proposal that focused on storing water upstream to reduce flood risk before it reached the village.

They believed that approach would have offered better protection while also improving water quality and protecting wildlife.

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An Environment Agency spokesperson said it cared "deeply about the environment and developing the best option to protect homes and businesses" in Portreath.

They said the Portreath Flood Resilience Scheme had been developed to "reduce flood risk to homes, businesses and community infrastructure in Portreath, one of the communities most at risk of flooding in Cornwall".

It said there was "not a viable upstream attenuation solution and the creation of large upstream storage areas come with significant environmental and flooding risks due to the legacy of mining in the area".