Southern Water Bulverhythe update

Councillors and senior officers at Hastings Borough Council met with senior representatives from Southern Water last week to discuss the on-going clean-up operation at Bulverhythe beach.
The meeting was an opportunity for Southern Water to update the council on what was happening at the site of the sewage leak in July.
Cllr Kim Forward, Leader of the Council, said: "This was a productive meeting. The Southern Water Chief Executive apologised for the terrible leak in July and explained that it was a very unusual system failure. Testing is ongoing to reduce the chances of further incidents.
"We will be meeting with Southern Water on an on-going basis to hear the results of the investigations, and so we can make sure that the beach is restored to its former state and that all beach hut owners who were affected are compensated. We are also keen to work to build on our relationship with Southern Water so that we can deal with any future incidents as efficiently and effectively as possible."
Council officials also heard more information about the takeover of Southern Water by Macquarie, an Australian investment bank. This will mean further major infrastructure investments and improvements. Updates were requested on the local action plan which was agreed between the council and Southern Water earlier this year.
Ian McAulay, Chief Executive Officer at Southern Water, said: "We continue to build on our productive relationship with Hastings Council. In addition to the work on the clean-up from the summer's burst at Bulverhythe, Hastings will continue to be a priority for our misconnections team which has already prevented hundreds of thousands of litres of sewage entering surface drains and directly impacting the environment. With fresh investment from our new majority shareholder, our investment plans across the region are being both widened and accelerated and we will ensure the benefits are felt by customers and the environment."
Any residents who have concerns about the site or the incident should contact Southern Water on 0330 303 0368 If you are having problems with water or sewage and have already reported these to Southern Water, please visit our website and click 'Report issues with Southern Water'.