83 beaches Britons are warned to avoid due to SEWAGE being dumped into waters nearby

Britons have been warned not to swim at more than 80 beaches across the country after heavy rainfall has caused sewage discharge to seep into the waters.

Surfers Against Sewage have issued a warning to those looking to head to the UK’s seasides.

The marine conservation charity monitors the water quality across the nation to keep the public in-the-know of any spots affected by sewage.

With an interactive map to help illustrate the widespread number of beaches affected across the UK, Surfers Against Sewage have outlined 83 spots to avoid.

A TripAdvisor favourite has been included in the list – Gorleston Beach – which was named the ‘best beach in the country’ just last month.

Britons have been warned not to swim at more than 70 beaches across the country after heavy rainfall has caused sewage discharge to seep into the waters 

The little known seaside town is bracing itself for an influx of visitors after Tripadvisor named its beach as being the best in the UK and the 12th best in Europe.

Local residents insisted today that they were not at all surprised by the accolade for the huge expanse of sand in Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk.

But at the moment, it seems a visit to the hidden gem is off the cards thanks to sewage discharged from a sewer overflow within the area.

The warning from the charity read: ‘A large, 3km stretch of sand backed by a promenade, gardens and the town with timber groynes found along its length. 

‘Gorleston-on-Sea became popular in Edwardian times and is still a busy seaside resort. A number of sewer overflows discharge into the River Yare that flows to the sea at the northern end of the beach.’

Other beaches on the list with the warning include, Southend Jubilee Beach, Sheerness, Folkestone, Dymchurch, Camber, Bognor Regis and Cowes.

Tourist hotspots Brighton, Blackpool and Whitstable are also warned against going to.

Scarborough, Saltburn, Whitby, Spittal, Amble links, Warkworth, Seaham, Walney Biggar Bank, Pendower are also on the list.

Sewage and agricultural pollution have put the UK at the bottom of the list in Europe in terms of its bathing water quality ranking. 

Pollution can make waters risky as people can contract harmful illnesses such as viruses and ‘antimicrobial resistant bacteria.

The group estimates that ‘over 400,000 discharges of untreated sewage into UK rivers’ and ‘almost 5,500 discharges into UK coastal bathing waters’. 

Last August, it was revealed that water companies have spent more than nine million hours pumping raw sewage into Britain’s seas and rivers since 2016. 

Environment Agency figures reveal the staggering amount discharged into areas including tourist and bathing hotspots. 

And the Labour Party, which obtained the data under Freedom of Information laws, warned on Friday that the full scale of pollution could be much worse. 

Jim McMahon, Labour’s environment spokesman, accused the water giants of cutting corners to ‘pump filthy raw sewage on to our playing fields and into our waters’. 

He added: ‘Labour will put a stop to this disgraceful practice by ensuring there can be enforcement of unlimited fines, holding water company bosses legally and financially accountable for their negligence, and by toughening up regulations that currently allow the system to be abused.’ 

The data shows that, since 2016, raw sewage has been released into the UK’s seas and rivers for a total of 9,427,355 hours. 

It also shows that there has been a 2,553 per cent increase in the number of monitored discharge hours between 2016 and 2021, with the party arguing that the situation is ‘drastically worsening’ under the Conservatives. 

In 2016, the Environment Agency recorded 100,533 hours’ worth of spills. 

By 2021, that figure had rocketed to 2,667,452.