A sewage leak at Uphill Beach has angered locals, prompting demands for accountability from Wessex Water following the incident.
Uphill Beach: So, there was this sewage spill at Uphill Beach, and it’s got everyone pretty riled up. Locals and officials are really upset with Wessex Water over how they handled it.
The whole mess started when a temporary pipe burst after some heavy rain. This led to raw sewage spilling into the sea and messing up the beach entrance. Not cool, right?
Councillor Mike Bell, who’s with the Liberal Democrats on the North Somerset Council, didn’t hold back. He called out Wessex Water for not keeping people in the loop about what was happening. He said they need to own up when things go wrong.
This temporary pipe was put in place back in December because the permanent one had a leak. But it just couldn’t handle all the surface water from the rain, and boom—sewage spill. Wessex Water has fixed the pipe now, but they’ve closed the road to the beach while they sort out the damage.
A spokesperson from Wessex Water said it was a regrettable situation. They explained that the pipe failed due to stormy weather, which led to the sewage issue and some erosion of the beach access.
They assured everyone that they’re working with the local council and the Environment Agency to clean things up and make the area safe again. They also apologized for the hassle this caused.
Councillor Bell shared some photos of the beach, showing just how bad it got. He hopes this was just a one-time thing but stressed that we need to rethink how sewage pipes are managed, especially near beaches.
The local council is teaming up with volunteers and agencies to improve water quality along the coast. But Bell pointed out that it all depends on how well the water companies cooperate, and he’s not too happy with Wessex Water’s transparency.
He added that with all the scrutiny on water companies these days, they really need to be upfront about what’s going on. He’s glad the leak is fixed and that they’re making progress on the beach entrance, but with more rain on the way, it might take a bit longer to reopen the beach.
