No swim warning after major sewage spill
People have been urged to avoid entering the sea after a major sewer spill in Devon.
South West Water (SWW) said the burst sewer happened on private land in Exmouth next to Maer Lane wastewater treatment works.
It said Maer Lane had been temporarily shut as a result.
East Devon District Council (EDDC) leader councillor Paul Arnott said due to the "severity of the spill" the council has had to "red flag bathing" in the area.
'Monitor situation'
Mr Arnott said EDDC officers and the Environment Agency (EA) advised residents and visitors not to bathe in the water.
"Due to the severity of the spill, today we have had to ‘red flag’ bathing until we are satisfied that any sewage has dispersed," he said.
"We are also closely monitoring the impact on one of our car parks."
A spokesperson for the water company said it was using tankers to "transport flows away from the burst location to the treatment works" to allow teams to work on the damaged pipe.
"We will be installing an overland pipe as a temporary solution until a permanent fix can be carried out," they added.
Mr Arnott said the major sewage spill at the Maer represented a "historic new low" for the water company.
"This incident not only impacted our residents but also the tens of thousands of tourists that visit Exmouth," he said.
Mr Arnott has urged SWW to agree a way forward to ensure a similar incident "does not happen again".
"We will continue to monitor the situation and will hold South West Water to account," he said.
The BBC has approached SWW for comment.
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