The only way to prevent sewage from entering our waters is to remove all combined sewage overflows from our sewerage systems. This is going to be an expensive and complex fix but we cannot allow raw sewage to be pumped into our seas and rivers during times of heavy rainfall or at any other times when the older sewerage systems risk being overloaded.

I was pleased to be part of the movement in Parliament which persuaded the Government to place a legal obligation on water authorities to do stop these sewage discharges. Successive Governments over the decades have ducked this issue. I expect the targets which will be included in the new Environment Bill, due on 1 September, to be ambitious and for financial penalties to be imposed for a failure to deliver.

More frustratingly, the recent discharge impacting Bexhill beaches was not from a storm overflow but due to a mechanical failure in the Galley Hill wastewater pumping station operated by Southern Water. I’ve posed a series of questions to the Chief Executives of Southern Water and the Environment Agency about these events, amongst other questions I want to know why did the back-up generator fail and why did it take so long to close the beaches nearby? 

I have meetings with these agencies this week and have arranged a wider meeting for all Sussex MPs in Parliament. I will get the answers and will publish them to enable constituents to receive transparent information. I’m even more determined than ever to ensure that our coastline and waterways are better respected and cleaner for all to enjoy.